WannaCry Hero Marcus Hutchins(MalwareTech) Pleads Guilty to Developing a Banking Malware

WannaCry hero, Marcus Hutchins, pleads guilty for writing banking malware UPAS Kit and Kronos, prior to years he started his career as malware analyst.

He is known for registering the killswitch domain in 2017 which halted the WannaCry ransomware infection process.

According to the court documents obtained by ZDNet, he pleaded guilty to two counts, one for creating and distributing malware and another count for aiding in distribution, other eight counts have been dismissed.

Hutchins faces up to five years in prison, fines up to $250,000 and up to one year of supervised release.

He published a short statement on his website

“As you may be aware, I’ve pleaded guilty to two charges related to writing malware in the years prior to my career in security. I regret these actions and accept full responsibility for my mistakes. Having grown up, I’ve since been using the same skills that I missed several years ago for constructive purposes. I will continue to devote my time to keeping people safe from malware attacks.”

He got arrested a few months after the WannaCry attack when he was returning to the UK after attending the Def Con security conference.

During his bail time he shared his malware analysis skills with infosec community, he published various in-depth malware analysis methods including the first look of NSA Reverse Engineering Tool Ghidra.

The case was processed slowly for more than a year as many researchers unwilling to accept his role in Kronos malware campaign. The case shocked the infosec community, as he honored as a hero in stopping the WannaCry ransomware infection.

You can follow us on LinkedinTwitterFacebook for daily Cybersecurity updates also you can take the Best Cybersecurity courses online to keep your self-updated.

Miner Malware Uses Multiple Propagation Methods to Infect Windows Machines and to Drop Monero Miner

Two Hackers of Bayrob Malware Gang Convicted for Infecting more than 400,000 Computers Worldwide

Gurubaran

Gurubaran is a co-founder of Cyber Security News and GBHackers On Security. He has 10+ years of experience as a Security Consultant, Editor, and Analyst in cybersecurity, technology, and communications.

Recent Posts

LightSpy iOS Malware Enhanced with 28 New Destructive Plugins

The LightSpy threat actor exploited publicly available vulnerabilities and jailbreak kits to compromise iOS devices.…

1 day ago

ATPC Cyber Forum to Focus on Next Generation Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence Issues

White House National Cyber Director, CEOs, Key Financial Services Companies, Congressional and Executive Branch Experts…

3 days ago

New PySilon RAT Abusing Discord Platform to Maintain Persistence

Cybersecurity experts have identified a new Remote Access Trojan (RAT) named PySilon. This Trojan exploits…

3 days ago

Konni APT Hackers Attacking Organizations with New Spear-Phishing Tactics

The notorious Konni Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group has intensified its cyber assault on organizations…

4 days ago

Google Chrome Security, Critical Vulnerabilities Patched

Google has updated its Chrome browser, addressing critical vulnerabilities that posed potential risks to millions…

4 days ago

Notorious WrnRAT Delivered Mimic As Gambling Games

WrnRAT is a new malware attack that cybercriminals have deployed by using popular gambling games…

4 days ago