Tech | August 4, 2017 10:30 am

Hacker Who Stopped WannaCry Ransomware Arrested for Unrelated Cyberattack

Marcus Hutchins, 23, was arrested for his role in creating a malware targeting bank accounts.

Marcus Hutchins, digital security researcher for Kryptos Logic, poses for a photograph in front of his computer in his bedroom in Ilfracombe, U.K., on Tuesday, July 4, 2017. Hutchins, the 23-year-old who saved the world from a devastating cyberattack in May was asleep in his bed in the English seaside town of Ilfracombe last week after a night of partying when another online extortion campaign spread across the globe. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

By Matthew Reitman

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.