IDG Contributor Network: How a 22-year-old accidentally flipped the WannaCry kill switch

Last Friday, a huge cyber-attack infiltrated and crippled the computer systems of hospitals, schools, companies and government organizations, until a 22-year-old accidently shut it down. The malicious software shut down a reported 100,000 computers since its release early that morning. As the ransomware spread throughout networks and systems, reportedly through a known Microsoft vulnerability, people were treated to pop-ups stating that their information was encrypted unless a payment was made t