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Hacker who stopped WannaCry cyber attack pleads not guilty to bank malware charges in US

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Marcus Hutchins (R) the British cyber security expert accused of creating and selling malware that steals banking passwords arrives at US Federal court on August 14, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: AFP
Reuters

British cyber security researcher Marcus Hutchins pleaded not guilty on Monday to federal charges he built and sold malicious code used to steal banking credentials.

Hutchins, 23, rose to overnight fame within the hacker community in May when he helped defang the global “WannaCry” ransomware attack, which infected hundreds of thousands of computers in May and caused disruptions at factories, hospitals, shops and schools in more than 150 countries.

In this file photo, British IT expert Marcus Hutchins speaks during an interview in Ilfracombe, England. Hutchins, a young British researcher credited with derailing a global cyberattack in May, was arrested over charges of creating and distributing banking malware, US authorities said. Photo: AP
In this file photo, British IT expert Marcus Hutchins speaks during an interview in Ilfracombe, England. Hutchins, a young British researcher credited with derailing a global cyberattack in May, was arrested over charges of creating and distributing banking malware, US authorities said. Photo: AP

He was arrested earlier this month in Las Vegas on unrelated hacking charges. US prosecutors have claimed that he and an unnamed co-defendant advertised, distributed and profited from malware code known as “Kronos” between July 2014 and 2015.

The case has drawn intense interest from the hacker community for the implications it may pose for cyber research and concerns it may deteriorate an often tense relationship between hackers and law enforcement.

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