Hacker Responsible For GTA 6 Leaks Sentenced To Indefinite Hospital Order

Hacker Responsible For GTA 6 Leaks Sentenced To Indefinite Hospital Order

A teenage hacker who goes by the name of Arion Kurtaj, residing in Oxford, UK, has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order. The 18-year-old, alongside an unnamed 17-year-old minor, was part of the Lapsus$ hacking group that was responsible for the leaks of GTA 6 last year, prior to its official announcement earlier this month.

Kurtaj, who has been diagnosed with a severe case of autism, is a core member that forms Lapsus$, a hacking group consisting of both British and Brazilian members. Apart from Rockstar, the group also attacked organizations including Uber, NVIDIA, Microsoft, and British telecommunications providers, BT and EE. The health condition made him unfit to stand trial, hence the sentence is judged based on the crimes he committed, instead of his criminal intent.

Subsequent mental health assessment has said that he “continued to express the intent to return to cyber-crime as soon as possible,” and that he is “highly motivated.” On the grounds of significant public risk based on his intentions, the judge has sentenced Kurtaj to an indefinite hospital order – meaning he will remain at a secure hospital for the remainder of his life until doctors deem he is no longer a threat to the public.

Image: BBC

Notably, the hacker performed this stunt against Rockstar while he was on bail for his acts against NVIDIA and BT/EE, using tools such as an Amazon Firestick, his hotel TV, and a mobile phone, while under police protection at a Travelodge hotel. He breached Rockstar’s security through social engineering and demanded ransom through the company’s Slack messaging system, which he threatened to leak the source code. He then was re-arrested as a result. Rockstar says the hack cost the company $5 million, and thousands of hours worth of staff time.

A 17-year-old accomplice, who cannot be named as they are a minor, is also convicted of the same crimes. However, due to their age, they were sentenced to an 18-month Youth Rehabilitation Order, as well as a ban to use VPN online. The hacker is also sentenced for what looks to be acts of stalking and harassment against young women, according to the judge.

Source: BBC

Pokdepinion: This should serve as an important reminder for companies around the world to take cybersecurity and data handling practices very seriously.