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Famed security researcher pleads not guilty to involvement with Kronos malware
Marcus Hutchins, the security researcher who was arrested earlier this month on allegations that he was involved in the creation and distribution of Kronos malware, Monday pleaded not guilty at his first formal court hearing.
Known online as “MalwareTech,” 23-year-old British national Hutchins, who is best known for being the person behind stopping the spread of the WannaCry ransomware, appeared before a court in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to plead that he was not guilty of six charges related to the alleged creation and distribution of malware. Why Hutchins is being prosecuted in Wisconsin is not clear, with NBC noting that “prosecutors haven’t explained … and the grand jury indictment doesn’t clarify matters much further, saying only that some of the alleged offenses occurred in Wisconsin and elsewhere.”
Federal prosecutors allege that Hutchins admitted that he was the author of the code that became the Kronos malware when he spoke to FBI agents in an earlier hearing, adding a bizarre note to the trial. It gets weirder, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Chmelar describing Hutchins’ alleged crimes as “historic,” in what Motherboard reported as an apparent admission that Hutchins does not represent a threat anymore.
Hutchins came to public attention in May, when he “saved the world” from the rapidly spreading WannaCry ransomware when he “accidentally” discovered a kill switch that could slow the distribution of the malware. The fix involved Hutchins registering a nonsensical domain name to turn WannaCry off, a move that gave him global fame. Even now, some are still referring to him as the “WannaCry Hero.”
The cybersecurity community has been vocal in its support for Hutchins, claiming that his only role in Kronos was researching it. The act of accessing malware is something that is usual for cybersecurity researchers. Hutchins’s apparent arrest for doing so is claimed to have a “chilling effect” for all researchers in the space.
The court approved bail of $30,000 and allowed him to reside in Los Angeles prior to his next court hearing.
Photo: Marcus Hutchins/Facebook
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