Houston, TX – Davis Lu, a 55-year-old former senior programmer at Eaton Corporation, was sentenced to four years in prison on August 21, 2025, for deploying malware that crippled the company’s global network after his termination in 2019.
The sentence, handed down by a federal court in Ohio, follows Lu’s conviction in March for intentionally damaging Eaton’s network systems.
Lu, a Chinese national residing in Houston, developed a malicious program named “IsDLEnabledinAD” (Is Davis Lu Enabled in Active Directory), which was designed to activate upon the revocation of his corporate network access.
On September 9, 2019, when Eaton, a power management company based in Beachwood, Ohio, terminated Lu and disabled his credentials, the malware launched, overwhelming servers with excessive processes. The attack disrupted login access for thousands of Eaton’s global employees and deleted critical user profiles, locking staff out of the network.
Lu installed other malware, including programs named “Hakai” (Japanese for “destruction”) and “HunShui” (a term whose meaning is unclear but allegedly linked to “sleep” or “inactivity”). These programs further compromised Eaton’s systems, causing significant operational disruptions and data loss.
“This case demonstrates that even skilled insiders who abuse their access will face serious consequences,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, a Justice Department official, in a statement. “The department is committed to protecting U.S. companies from cyberattacks, whether from internal or external threats.”
Lu’s actions caused the disruption at Eaton, a global leader in power management solutions with operations in over 175 countries. The company has not publicly disclosed the full extent of the financial or operational damage, but court documents indicate significant losses.
Lu was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution to Eaton, with the final amount still pending determination by the court.
