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Computer law expert says British hacker arrest problematic

FILE - In this Monday, May 15, 2017, file photo, British IT expert Marcus Hutchins speaks during an interview in Ilfracombe, England. Hutchins, a young British researcher credited with derailing a global cyberattack in May, has been arrested for allegedly creating and distributing banking malware, U.S. authorities say. Hutchins was detained in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017, while flying back to Britain from Defcon, an annual gathering of hackers of IT security gurus. A grand jury indictment charges Hutchins with “creating and distributing” malware known as the Kronos banking Trojan. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File) FILE - In this Monday, May 15, 2017, file photo, British IT expert Marcus Hutchins speaks during an interview in Ilfracombe, England. Hutchins, a young British researcher credited with derailing a global cyberattack in May, has been arrested for allegedly creating and distributing banking malware, U.S. authorities say. Hutchins was detained in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017, while flying back to Britain from Defcon, an annual gathering of hackers of IT security gurus. A grand jury indictment charges Hutchins with “creating and distributing” malware known as the Kronos banking Trojan. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

By Associated Press August 4, 2017 1 min read

LONDON (AP) – A computer law expert says the evidence behind the U.S. arrest of a British cybersecurity researcher is problematic.

Attorney Tor Ekeland says Marcus Hutchins’ indictment was very weak and created a climate of distrust toward the U.S. government in the community of software experts.

Hutchins was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly creating and distributing malicious software designed to collect bank account passwords.

He was detained in Las Vegas on his way back to Britain from an annual gathering of hackers and information security gurus.

But Ekeland told The Associated Press that the indictment does little to address intent in term of the software’s use and if the legal theory behind this indictment is correct, “well then half of the United States software industry is potentially a bunch of felons.”