The infosec community is scratching its head this morning following the news that Marcus Hutchins, the 23-year-old security researcher who singlehandedly stopped the spread of the global ransomware WannaCry, is reportedly being detained in an unknown location by U.S. authorities. 。
SEE ALSO:Security researcher says he's figured out how to decrypt WannaCry 。
SEE ALSO:Security researcher says he's figured out how to decrypt WannaCry 。Motherboard 。
first picked up the story, reporting that a person by the same name, also aged 23, was being held at Nevada's Henderson Detention Center. A friend of Hutchins told the publication that he was moved to another unknown location sometime on Aug. 3. 。
We reached out to the FBI's Las Vegas office, but have received no response as of publishing. Notably, Hutchins is a British national. 。
Tweet may have been deleted。
Hutchins, perhaps better known as MalwareTech, works for the cybersecurity firm Kryptos Logic. He was in Las Vegas for Black Hat and DEF CON: two annual cybersecurity conferences. 。
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He gained international notoriety in May of this year when he registered a domain found in the WannaCry code. In doing so, he inadvertently activated a kill switch which stopped the ransomware in its tracks — likely saving lives in the process.
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Hutchins is typically very active on Twitter, and his last tweets before going dark suggest he was at the airport. 。Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.
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Thanks for signing up! 。 Tweet may have been deleted 。It is unclear what, if anything, Hutchins has been charged with. When reached for comment by
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The Telegraph 。
, his mother, Janet, noted that "I think I'm going to be rather busy tonight." 。
We'll update this story when we know more. 。
UPDATE: Aug. 3, 2017, 11:15 a.m. PDT 。
Tweet may have been deleted 。
According to fellow security researcher Andrew Mabbitt, Hutchins is reportedly being held in the Las Vegas FBI field office. 。UPDATE: Aug. 3, 2017, 11:45 a.m. PDT 。
CNN 。 reports that, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, Hutchins has been arrested for "his role in creating and distributing the Kronos banking Trojan."。Kronos was first spotted back in 2014, with 。
Kronos was first spotted back in 2014, with
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The Guardian 。
noting that the malware spread via email and targeted online banking passwords. Another unnamed codefendant has also reportedly been indicted.
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According to the indictment, in addition to allegedly creating the malware, Hutchins has been accused of "Advertising the availability of the Kronos malware on internet forums; selling the Kronos malware; [and] Receiving and distributing the proceeds obtained from selling the Kronos malware [...]." 。Tweet may have been deleted 。
Tweet may have been deleted 。
Interestingly, in 2014 Hutchins asked for a sample of the very malware he now stands accused of creating. 。Featured Video For You
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