Ex-Intel Employee Hid 18,000 Sensitive Documents Prior to Leaving the Company

Intel is pursuing legal action against a former software engineer who the company claims downloaded thousands of confidential files shortly after being fired in July.

The incident highlights growing concerns about data security during workforce reductions and employee departures.

The Incident

Jinfeng Luo, who worked as a software developer at Intel since 2014, lived in Seattle when the company notified him of his pending dismissal on July 7.

His employment was set to end on July 31. Intel has not publicly disclosed the reason for his termination.

However, the timing coincides with massive company-wide layoffs affecting over 15,000 employees worldwide that the semiconductor giant announced last summer as part of a cost-cutting initiative.

According to Intel’s lawsuit filed in Washington federal court, Luo attempted his first unauthorized file transfer on July 23, just weeks after receiving his termination notice.

He tried downloading files from his work laptop to ...