NEWARK, N.J., Dec 19, 2006 (AP Online via COMTEX News Network) --
A computer administrator upset over the possibility of losing his job planted an electronic "bomb" in the systems of one of the nation's largest prescription drug management companies, prosecutors said Tuesday.
If the so-called "logic bomb" had gone off at Medco Health Solutions Inc., it would have wiped out critical patient information, authorities said.
Even after surviving a round of layoffs, Yung-Hsun Lin, 50, kept the code in the system and tinkered with it in an attempt to set it off, prosecutors said. The bug eventually was discovered and neutralized by the company.
U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said the bomb could have caused widespread financial damage to the company, and possibly harmed a large number of patients.
Among the targeted databases was one that tracked patient-specific drug interaction conflicts, prosecutors said. Before dispensing medication, pharmacists routinely examine that information to determine whether conflicts exist among a patient's prescribed medicines.
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