ASSOCIATED PRESSMarcus Hutchins, perhaps best known by his MalwareTech alias, has pleaded guilty to two criminal charges related to creating and distributing malware. In May 2017, Hutchins was hailed as a hero after playing a pivotal role in stopping the global spread of the WannaCry ransomware attack. The charge shocked most everyone in the information security industry: that of creating the Kronos malware that stole the passwords of online banking customers. Court documents obtained by ZDNet writer Catalin Cimpanu reveal that Hutchins could face ten years in prison having pleaded guilty to two of the ten counts against him: distributing Kronos and conspiracy to create and distribute malware. In a short public statement posted online at his MalwareTech site, Hutchins says that "I've pleaded guilty to two charges related to writing malware in the years prior to my career in security.

Source: Forbes April 20, 2019 07:30 UTC