The “accidental hero” who discovered a hidden “kill switch” for Wannacry, a worldwide ransomware attack, has been arrested for his alleged involvement in cyberattacks on bank accounts.
23-year-old Marcus Hutchins, a British cybersecurity researcher, was arrested by the FBI at a Las Vegas airport while he was returning home from the annual Def Con hacking conference, according to The Guardian.
Associates of Hutchins are surprised at the accusations since his work consisted of stopping the very crimes he’s committed of doing. Experts think it’s the FBI mistook what might’ve been a research investigation for criminal actions since they often appear similar, The Guardian reports.
Law enforcement accuses Hutchins of helping to create, spread, and maintain the Kronos malware, a sophisticated computer virus that spread through email attachments and stole passwords for online bank accounts.
According to The Guardian, the malware was listed for $2,000 on the dark web market AlphaBay, which was recently shut down by the FBI. Kronos buyers were offered free updates and a support team to troubleshoot the malware, suggesting a large team behind it.
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