Hacker Behind GTA 6 Leaks Sentenced To Life In Hospital Prison

The biggest leak in the history of GTA took place last year, when the infamous international hacking gang, Lapsus$, leaked 90 videos of the highly anticipated game, GTA 6. After a lengthy trial, Arion Kurtaj, the teenager behind Lapsus$ and the most significant Uber, Nvidia, and Microsoft breaches was sentenced to life in hospital prison "unless doctors deem him no longer a danger."

Arion Kurtaj belongs to Oxford and has a neurological and developmental disorder that falls under the broad spectrum of autism. Arion expressed his interest in continuing to commit cybercrimes as soon as possible, leading authorities to take stricter action. According to BBC, his motivation towards cybercrime was so high that he managed to hack into Rockstar Games using an Amazon Firestick, a hotel TV, and a mobile phone while under police supervision. 

Also Read: Son Of A Rockstar Games Employee Might Have Leaked GTA 6 Footage

Arion Kurtaj Sentenced To Life in Hospital Prison After Court Deems Him a High Risk To The Public

Going back to Rockstar's 2022 breach, Kurtaj's intentions to continue his career as an infamous hacker were clear. Kurtaj was already out on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE where he worked with his 17-year-old partner in crime (who remains unnamed), for which the authorities confiscated his laptop. Despite his system being seized and Kurtaj being under police protection at the Travelodge Hotel, the teenager reportedly managed to breach Rockstar Games with an Amazon Firestick, a hotel TV, and a mobile phone, resulting in one of the most significant breaches in the history of gaming. 

With that breach, fans learned about thousands of details related to GTA 6 like the introduction of GTA's first-ever female protagonist, Lucia, alongside the comeback of Vice City into the franchise. BBC says Arion logged into the company's internal Slack and stated, "If Rockstar does not contact me on Telegram within 24 hours, I will start releasing the source code." Following his action, Arion was re-arrested.  

As per BBC, Rockstar Games stated to the court that Arion's hack cost the company $5 million alongside thousands of hours of staff time. In addition to Rockstar Games, Lapsus$' actions cost firms like Nvidia, Uber, and Microsoft over $10 million.

With Arion and his 17-year-old partner being sentenced to an indefinite hospital order and Youth Rehabilitation Order, respectively, big firms can now catch a break from the hacker group. After a series of hacks and leaks, Rockstar Games had to release the first trailer of their upcoming title, GTA 6, a few hours earlier than the decided time. The trailer confirmed the arrival of Lucia in Vice City, which was also revealed in 2022, thanks to Arion's breach. GTA 6's trailer has already broken several records, including Mr. Beast's record of the most viewed video on YouTube in the first 24 hours.