18 years Old GTA 6 hacker sentenced to indefinite hospital order
18 years Old GTA 6 hacker
The hacker, who was 18 years old at the time of the breach, has been given a life sentence for his crimes. His leaks occurred through a combination of his phone, a hotel TV, and an Amazon Fire Stick.
Speculation regarding GTA VI began online before Rockstar released the video. Some reported that the much-anticipated game would be announced soon, while others mentioned a female character. Leaked GTA VI gameplay footage of a female protagonist plundering restaurants fuelled rumors of this female character.
The BBC reports that the gameplay video leaker has been sentenced to life in a hospital prison. The hacker leaked this footage via hotel TV, phone, and Amazon Fire Stick.
GTA VI hacker gets life in prison
After sharing an unreleased Grand Theft Auto 6 video, the 18-year-old hacker from Lapsus$ has been hospitalized indefinitely, according to the BBC. Oxford-born, autistic Arion Kurtaj was a significant player in the cyberattacks on Uber, Nvidia, and Rockstar Games, inflicting over USD 10 million in damages. Kurtaj’s cyber-crime skills and public safety dangers led the judge to order an indefinite hospital stay. This means Kurtaj will be in a secure hospital for life, pending medical assessments of his risk. The proceedings indicated that Kurtaj was violent in detention, causing injuries and property damage. Doctors declared him incompetent to stand trial due to his severe autism, therefore the jury assessed his acts without considering criminal intent.
A mental health assessment during the sentencing hearing showed Kurtaj’s significant motivation to commit cybercrime. Kurtaj hacked GTA VI while on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE and under police protection at a Travelodge hotel. He broke into Rockstar, the creators of GTA, using an Amazon Firestick, his hotel TV, and a phone despite the confiscated laptop.
Kurtaj posted 90 unreleased Grand Theft Auto 6 clips and source code on a forum under TeaPotUberHacker. Unafraid of previous arrests, the hacker threatened to expose the source code if Rockstar wasn’t contacted within 24 hours via Slack. He was quickly caught and jailed until trial after the hack.
Rockstar releases GTA VI trailer
Rockstar Games surprised gamers worldwide on December 5. Leaked 12 hours before its release, GTA VI’s trailer was posted on YouTube.It was rumored that GTA VI might launch in
2024. That won’t happen. At the end of the trailer, Rockstar Games announced a 2025 release. Thus, players will have to wait over a year (or two if the game releases late in 2025) to experience GTA VI.
Kurtaj ran a major Rockstar Games hack while on bail for a previous Nvidia hack and under police protection at a Travelodge hotel. He entered Rockstar’s internal Slack messaging system using an Amazon Firestick, a hotel TV, and a mobile phone and published 90 GTA 6 clips, threatening to release more unless contacted by Rockstar. The game’s source code and footage were leaked by
Autism rendered Kurtaj inco“TeaPotUberHacker.”mpetent for trial, making his trial unique. The jury had to decide if he was accountable for the attacks, not criminal intent. His belligerent behavior in detention and his threats to return to cybercrime influenced the trial. Kurtaj’s activities cost Rockstar Games $5 million and thousands of hours of rehabilitation. Despite this, Kurtaj’s defense claimed that the successful GTA 6 trailer release showed little hack impact. The court recognized his and Lapsus$’s larger injury, including attacks on other prominent IT organizations and individuals.
The same trial convicted another 17-year-old Lapsus$ member and awarded a Youth Rehabilitation Order. Lapsus$, known as “digital bandits,” commits daring cybercrimes and openly humiliates their victims. Kurtaj and the anonymous kid have been convicted, while other group members may still be at large. This instance shows the growing worry over sophisticated cybercrimes by younger people.
