Remember the 22-year old Brit credited for stopping the WannaCry malware? Which affected millions of computers globally. Going by the username “MalwareTech”, he registered a website discovered while investigating the WannaCry malware’s code. This site inadvertently triggered a killswitch which stopped the spread of the attack. MalwareTech then continued to host the website once he saw the effect it was having.
The 22-year old security expert is being offered a $10,000 (£7,700) reward for his efforts. HackerOne offered this bounty. Which is a platform that lets security professionals report potential security issues.
He has turned down the reward, however, and has stated that the full amount is going to a charity instead. He posted on Twitter that a public vote will determine which charity should receive the bulk of the money. MalwareTech is reserving the remainder of the reward for purchasing books on infosec for students who cannot afford them.
“I don’t do what I do for money or fame. I’d rather give the money to people who need it.” MalwareTech wrote.
Microsoft released a patch preventing ransomware such as WannaCry malware from being executed earlier in March. The rapid and global spread of the ransomware, unfortunately, highlights a lax approach to system updating. However, many companies accused of being derelict in their duties to keep systems updated blames it all on cost. Some companies who are running older operating systems including Windows XP for example, cannot afford the license fee to upgrade.
The NSA is also to blame for the crisis, according to Microsoft. The software giant accused the US government agency of stockpiling malware and other software exploits; often leaked online by hacking “ShadowBrokers”. Microsoft President Brad Smith even went as far as to compare it to Tomahawk missiles getting stolen and used by terrorist groups. He adds that this event should serve as a wake-up call to the governments of the world.
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