The 18-year-old hacker behind the massive leak of “Grand Theft Auto VI” footage managed to breach Rockstar Games’ security while under police protection, using nothing more than a hotel TV, cellphone, and an Amazon Fire Stick.
Arion Kurtaj, as reported by BBC News, received an indefinite hospital order from a British judge as punishment for his hacking escapade, which involved leaking gameplay videos of the highly-anticipated game in 2022.
This unusual order implies that instead of serving a prison sentence, Kurtaj, who was declared unfit to stand trial due to severe autism according to The Guardian, will remain involuntarily hospitalized for life, unless medical professionals determine he is fit for release.
Kurtaj committed the crime while being under police protection and on bail, having previously infiltrated technology giants like Nvidia and BT/EE, as disclosed during the court proceedings.
The Oxford-based hacker was part of the international hacking collective known as Lapsus$. Apart from Rockstar and Nvidia, the gang also targeted Uber, resulting in nearly $10 million in losses for the three companies, according to BBC News.
The court heard that Kurtaj exhibited violent behavior while in custody, which led to the decision for him to remain in a secure hospital for an indefinite period, pending evaluation by medical experts, as reported by the outlet.
The hack in September 2022 exposed over 90 videos featuring an early version of “GTA VI.”
Kurtaj, who shared these videos on “GTA” forums under the username TeaPotUberHacker, reportedly gained unauthorized access to the company through its Slack messaging platform, according to The Guardian.
At the time, Rockstar confirmed the authenticity of the leak and expressed “extreme disappointment” that crucial game details, such as the game’s setting in a fictional Miami-like location, had been revealed prematurely.
Following yet another leak, which unofficial reports from Eurogamer suggested may have been the work of a Rockstar employee’s child, the company eventually released the official trailer for “GTA VI” in early December. Within the first 24 hours, the trailer garnered a staggering 93 million views on YouTube.
Business Insider reached out to Rockstar for comment, but no response was received at the time of reporting, which was outside normal working hours.
