The Teen Lapsus$ hacking group member, Arion Kurtaj, is an 18-year-old hacker who was charged with getting into Rockstar’s data and leaking almost 90 GTA 6 early development videos. Recently, Kurtaj was sentenced by a UK court to indefinite life in a hospital prison.
The BBC reports suggest that the hacker, who has been described as acutely autistic, “will remain at a secure hospital for life unless doctors deem him no longer a danger." His sentence is somewhat different from a life sentence in prison, which never really runs until the end of one’s life. Regardless of this, his sentence is still effectively indefinite so far.
According to a mental health assessment, the hacker "continued to express the intent to return to cybercrime as soon as possible. He is highly motivated." Back in July, Kurtaj was considered psychiatrically unfit for trial, which ended up moving the jury’s focus away from the usual verdict of guilty and more toward figuring out whether the reported hack was even committed or not.
Barely a month later, we discovered Kurtaj’s hack on Rockstar Games was carried out in a hotel room, sometime after his laptop was taken due to a previous hack. He accomplished the whole thing with the help of an Amazon Firestick, a hotel TV, and a mobile phone. However, he was instantly taken into custody once again.
In addition to Kurtaj, another 17-year-olf member of the same hacking group, Teen Lapsus$, was also accused of fraud, blackmail, and was charged under the Computer Misuse Act. Moreover, Rockstar wasn’t Lapsus$'s only target since Nvidia, Microsoft, and other phone companies also reported hacks. On top of "thousands of hours of staff time," the BBC reports that Rockstar argued the hack cost the company $5 million.
What did Kurtaj’s GTA 6 hacks reveal?
Arion Kurtaj leaked around 90 early development footage clips of the upcoming highly anticipated game. These leaks gave GTA fans a glimpse into the world of GTA 6 and allowed them to see what might be in store for them. Not only this but these leaks were later compiled in the form of a massive document that kept circulating around the internet for a really long time.
The leaks initially revealed that the game would be set in Vice City, which did come true. Some other clips indicated that GTA 6 would feature a lot more enterable buildings, strip clubs, restaurants, clubs, and a lot more. The massive leak also revealed that the game would feature single-player DLC, dual protagonists (one male named Jason and one female named Lucia) and that the game’s map is far bigger than any other Rockstar game. However, these are just leaks and should be taken with a pinch of salt.
GTA 6 is set to come out in 2025 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
