Feds file fraud charge in Columbia Sportswear hacking case
Jeff Manning, 11 August 2017
Federal prosecutors sent a message to would-be hackers Thursday, filing a single count of computer fraud against Michael Leeper, the former Columbia Sportswear information technology manager who allegedly continued to log in to the company’s computer system for years after he quit.
Leeper worked for Columbia for 14 years, topping out as director of technical infrastructure, which gave him virtually unlimited access to Columbia’s computer systems. Leeper quit in 2014 to join a Seattle technology company. Prosecutors claim he continued to access Columbia’s system for more than two years with the hopes of commercial gain
