14 DAY TRIAL // UK tabloids were on a twisted mission the other day - find out, at whatever price, just who is behind the MalwareTech Twitter handle. In other words, they wanted to know the name of the "accidental hero" who stopped the spread of one of the largest cyber attacks in history.
Their methods weren't exactly the greatest - they doxxed him. They dug and dug the Internet for traces of any information that may help identify him. They stalked his Instagram, tracked a girl and stalked her too. It was completely insane and not something you should do to someone who was already more than willing to speak to you, albeit not face to face.
The only thing the young researcher wanted to do was remain anonymous, do what he loves and continue saving the world. Against his will, his name has now been made public. Personal details about him were made public too, even though they held no weight in what he did and why he did it.
The only information anyone really needed about him was that he managed to put a stop to the spread of the WannaCry ransomware by taking a chance and registering a simple, jibberish domain he found inside the malware's code. That's it. It seems we live in a world where some can't respect people's privacy no matter what.
A security risk
MalwareTech was quite responsive to media requests in the beginning, even sharing some info about himself - his age, where he lived and that he worked for a security firm in L.A. He expressed no desire for fame, hence his decision not to come forth with his identity.
There was even the concern that, now that his identity is no longer private, the attackers whose plans were foiled by him triggering the kill switch would somehow come after him.
"For the record I don't 'fear for my safety,' I'm just unhappy with trying to help clear up Friday's mess with th+e doorbell going constantly," he tweeted.