When a Single Contractor Wipes Out a Nation’s Digital Records A 34‑year‑old former government contractor from Virginia has been convicted of orchestrating a coordinated deletion of roughly 30 federal databases after his contract was terminated. The Department of Justice’s indictment details how the defendant leveraged his administrative privileges to initiate a cascade of data removals that spanned multiple agencies, raising profound concerns about insider risk management and the resilience of critical government information systems. Key Takeaways Scope of the breach: Approximately 30 federal databases across agencies—including the Department of …—were targeted for erasure. Method of attack: The perpetrator exploited privileged access to execute a series of automated deletions, demonstrating how a single insider can trigger widespread data loss. Legal outcome: The defendant was found guilty of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse, facing significant federal penalties.…