Today, it appears that the case regarding the leak of Grand Theft Auto 6 content last year has taken a new turn as the individual responsible, 18-year-old Arion Kurtaj, has been given an indefinite hospital order. Kurtaj, who lives in Oxford, was discovered to be a member of the cybercrime group Lapsus$.
The incident began on September 18, 2022, when 90 videos, showcasing 50 minutes of GTA 6 gameplay, emerged on GTAForums. These videos were later confirmed to be genuine by sources from Rockstar. Kurtaj, who used the username “teapotuberhacker” on the forum, claimed credit for the Uber security breach from the previous week and eventually stated that he accessed Rockstar Games’ internal Slack groups to get source code, assets, and internal builds of Grand Theft Auto V and VI.
City of London Police, along with the National Cyber Crime Unit and U.S. federal law enforcement, arrested Kurtaj on September 22, 2022. Subsequently, he appeared in court, admitting to breaching bail conditions but denying charges of computer misuse.
In early 2023, the GTA 6 leak case moved to the Southwark Crown Court. Kurtaj, who was diagnosed with autism by doctors, was deemed unfit to stand trial. Instead, a jury determined that he committed the acts, leading to a sentencing hearing. In a recent report by the BBC, it was revealed that Kurtaj has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order. The hacker will remain detained in hospital prison for life unless doctors determine that he is no longer a danger.
The court heard about Kurtaj’s violent behavior while in custody, leading to concerns about his potential risk to the public due to his cybercrime skills and motivation. A mental health assessment even revealed his intent to return to cybercrime. In addition to the hospital order, Kurtaj had previously received an 18-month Youth Rehabilitation Order, which included supervision and a ban on using VPNs online.
Following the triumphant release of GTA VI‘s first-ever trailer a few weeks ago, it might not be apparent that the game has had a tumultuous journey before its official reveal. Behind the scenes, Rockstar Games’ staff experienced significant repercussions as they shared with the court that the hack incurred a recovery cost of $5 million, along with the expenditure of thousands of staff hours.
