Computer security concerns can emanate from an external source, that hacker trying to penetrate the electronic defenses. An equally dangerous hack may come from an internal source. This is illustrated by the allegation of a destructive virus planted by a disgruntled Fannie Mae employee:

“A 35-year-old computer programer pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges that he planted a computer virus designed to destroy all the data on 4,000 Fannie Mae computer servers the day he was fired from the company.

Rajendrasinh Babubhai Makwana, an Indian citizen who had been working as a contractor employee at Fannie Mae’s facility in Urbana, Maryland, was indicted on Tuesday by a federal grand jury for computer intrusion.”

link: Ex-Fannie Mae programmer says not guilty of virus

Perhaps Fannie Mae has additional redundancy that is not stated. However, the impact of the destruction of “all data” would have catastrophic consequences, not only for Fannie Mae but also for the American economy. Such crimes should be considered as an act of national terrorism.

Catherine Forsythe