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A Disney Worker Downloaded an AI Tool. It Led to a Hack That Ruined His Life.

Matthew Van Andel’s experience reveals the threat that opportunistic hackers pose to companies and individuals

Hacking victim Matthew ‘Dutch’ Van Andel lost his job at Disney.

ET

The stranger messaging Matthew Van Andel online last July knew a lot about him—including details about his lunch with co-workers at Disney DIS -3.35%decrease; red down pointing triangle from a few days earlier. 

His mind raced; he knew no one outside Disney would have access to that information. How did the person messaging him on chat forum Discord know what he had said in a private workplace Slack channel? 

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