'Accidental hero' who halted cyber-attack is English blogger aged 22

Marcus Hutchins works from home for an LA-based web security company but has been a tech blogger since leaving school

The "accidental hero" who halted the global spread of the international ransomware attack is a self-trained 22-year-old from south-west England who skipped university and got hired by a California web security company thanks to his tech blog.

Marcus Hutchins found and inadvertently activated a "kill switch" in the malicious software that wreaked havoc on organisations including the UK's National Health Service on Friday, by registering a specific domain name hidden within the program for just $10.69 (8.30).