The indictment claims that Hutchins sold Kronos, at least once, for $2,0. The indictment also claims that Hutchins uploaded a video to You. Tube about how Kronos works, a detail that the Department of Justice thinks is incriminating evidence.
Did federal authorities let Hutchins party his face off during Defcon and Black Hat, so that they could collect more incriminating evidence against the young security researcher? Did Hutchins’ money come the sale of malware that makes it easy for evil hackers to rob unsuspecting computer users? Did Hutchins lie when he said he was donating the $1. Wanna. Cry to charity, instead choosing to spend the money on exotic car rentals and a lavish party house? We don’t know the answer to any of these questions, and we probably won’t for quite some time. But it certainly is possible that a white hat like Hutchins possibly, maybe did some bad things a few years ago.
In the hacker world, it’s not uncommon for hackers to start off wearing black hats and end up changing their ways. Usually they get caught doing the bad stuff and then spend some time in prison. Here are some examples. Kevin Paulson is the legendary hacker who became famous for taking over all of the phone lines that led to Los Angeles- area radio stations so that he could be the 1. Porsche back in 1. He was arrested in 1. Now, he’s a senior editor at Wired.
Then, you’ve got Kevin Mitnick, another famous hacker. Credential Security Support Provider Windows 7. Mitnick was charged for over two dozen cyber crimes in 1.
Now, he runs his own security company, consulting large companies and even the FBI on how to keep their data safe. And who could forget Samy Kamkar. When he was just 1. Kamkar created a worm that he unleashed on My. Space, where it soon became the fastest spreading computer virus in history. He pleaded guilty to a felony, avoided jail time, and was on probation for three years, during which he was not allowed to touch a computer. Now, he’s one of the most famous white hat hackers in the world, spotting vulnerabilities in everyday devices and advocating for better privacy.
He’s even testified before Congress. One thing deserves repeating, though: We don’t know if Hutchins is guilty. It’s entirely possible that the feds got the wrong guy, and we can all go back to remembering Malware. Tech for being the nice person who saved a lot of people from getting hacked and held hostage by the Wanna. Cry ransomware. If he did do it, however, he wouldn’t be the first white hat hacker with a black hat past. In fact, he’d be in good company.