British computer expert Marcus Hutchins shot to fame earlier this year when it was revealed that he had found the "kill switch" in WannaCry, the malware that encrypted and held hundreds of thousands of computers the world over to ransom.

However, the 23-year-old security researcher has now been arrested by the FBI over his alleged involvement in separate malware targeting bank accounts.

If found guilty, they said Hutchins could be jailed for as many as 40 years.

WannaCry's interface. /Reuters Photo‍

According to a report on computer tech website MotherBoard, Hutchins was arrested by the FBI on August 2 after attending the Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas.

A Las Vegas court ruled last Friday that Hutchins could be released on a 30,000-US-dollar bail, though he had to remain in the US with GPS monitoring.

Click here to find out why Hutchins can be bailed out

"We intend to fight the case," Hutchins' attorney Adrian Lobo said on Facebook Live to local reporters at the court house. "He has dedicated his life to researching malware, not to try to harm people. He has tremendous community support, local and abroad and in the computer world."

The Kronos malware that Hutchins is accused of having involvement in is spread through malicious email attachments. It can be used to steal banking passwords and other credentials from infected computers, according to Xinhua.

Andrew Mabbitt, a cyber security company founder and Hutchins' friend, tweets on August 5 for clarification. /Twitter Screenshot

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