This ransomware deserves cheers after helping catch child porn offender

This is definitely one of those rare times when malware will get cheers from the public.

A ransomware that has a fake warning from the Federal Bureau of Investigation led to a man's arrest for child pornography in the United States.

Jay Matthew Riley, 21, was arrested and charged for multiple child pornography in Woodbridge after he fell for the malware, WJLA television reported.

"We've never had a case like this, I'm safe to say that...but the nature of what we have here is quite significant and severe,” said Prince William County Police spokesman Officer Jonathan Perok.

The malware that played the role of unlikely hero is classified as ransomware, locking a victim's computer and having him or her send money to get the unlock code.

In many instances—as in Riley's case, the ransomware contains a supposed message from the Federal Bureau of Investigation claiming he should pay a fine lest he be investigated.

And Riley fell for it—he went to a local police station to ask if he had any outstanding warrants for child pornography-related offenses.

He also voluntarily turned over his computer, where police found "inappropriate messages and photos, including from a 13-year-old Minnesota girl," WJLA reported.

"Perhaps it turns out that malware can be a good thing, after all," security researcher Graham Cluley commented.

"We’re used to ransomware scaring users into making unwise payments to criminals, in an attempt to unlock their computer. What’s more unusual is ransomware actually leading to a man being held in jail," he added.

Cluley pointed out the FBI message is fake, though Riley believed it.

Riley was eventually charged with three counts of possessing illegal images, one count of using a communication device to solicit certain offenses involving children, and one count of indecent liberties with a minor, Cluley said. — VC, GMA News