Intel Corporation has filed a $250,000 lawsuit against a former software engineer who allegedly downloaded around 18,000 confidential files labeled “Intel Top Secret” and subsequently disappeared.
The case is a prime example of the data security risks associated with corporate layoffs.
The lawsuit reported that Jinfeng Luo, employed since 2014, was fired in July 2025.
In the days before his departure, Luo allegedly made several attempts to transfer large amounts of data.
Initially, you were unable to copy files to an external drive that was locked by company security; successfully transferred data to a network attached storage (NAS) device three days before his last day.
He then spent his remaining time at Intel unloading a trove of confidential company assets.
Soon, the company detected the data breach shortly after it transferred the data. The lawsuit claims the company made several attempts over the past three months to contact Luo through calls, emails and letters.
But there is no response from him. This triggers legal action to recover the company’s stolen property.
“Luo has refused to even cooperate with Intel,” the lawsuit states, “let alone return the files.”
The incident occurred amid a massive and ongoing workforce reduction at Intel, which has seen 35,000 jobs eliminated in recent years.
The company has a history of taking legal action against former employees for data theft; Another former engineer was recently sentenced to probation and a fine for stealing data to supposedly get a job at Microsoft.
Intel is now seeking $250,000 in damages and the return of all information stolen from Luo, whose current whereabouts remain unknown.
