Hacker Who Killed WannaCry Sentenced to Time Served

His very major good deed helped him avoid 10 years in jail.

WannaCry Me a River

In May 2017, malicious actors used the WannaCry ransomware to cripple hospitals, banks, and companies across the globe — until British cybersecurity Marcus Hutchins killed the malware with a clever trick.

It now seems that those efforts earned Hutchins a "get out of jail free" card — and he just cashed it in to deal with a dark past.

Blind Eye

Just three months after stopping the spread of WannaCry, Hutchins found himself locked up in a Las Vegas federal detention center for creating and spreading his own malware years prior.

This suggested that the U.S. government wouldn't be willing to let his major good deed wipe away his past transgressions.

On Friday, though, a judge sentenced Hutchins to time served for his previous crimes — the lightest possible sentence and well short of the potential 10 years in prison and $500,000 fine he could've received.

Pardon Me

According to Brian Klein, one of Hutchins' attorneys, the judge even thinks Hutchins could be pardoned for the crimes despite entering a guilty plea.

"We are thrilled that the judge recognized Marcus’ very important contributions to keeping the world safe and let him go home a free man today," Klein said, according to Ars Technica. "Without precedent but more than appropriately, the judge suggested Marcus seek a pardon. We plan to explore those opportunities."

READ MORE: WannaCry slayer, malware author Marcus Hutchins won’t go to prison [Ars Technica]

More on Marcus Hutchins: It’s Now Scary to Be A White Hat Hacker Thanks to the US Government