In September 2022, Rockstar Studios was a victim of massive cyberattack that resulted in leaking of over 90 screenshots and videos of confidential footage from Grand Theft Auto 6. The identity of this GTA 6 hacker was revealed after a few days. It was discovered that an 18-year-old boy, Arion Kurtaj was responsible for this massive leak.
GTA 6 hacker Kurtaj threatened to release source code for the game
Rockstar Games took immediate action to remove the leaked content from the internet. Before they could be taken down, the leaked assets had made their way across the internet, even briefly appearing in the Goat Simulator 3. While the CEO of Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, Strauss Zelnick, claimed that business wasn’t affected by this leak, he reported of the emotional cost and disappointment faced by the development team. At the time, Zelnick had addressed the fans of the series by saying,
“We are extremely disappointed to have any details of our next game shared with you all in this way. Our work on the next Grand Theft Auto game will continue as planned.”
The GTA 6 hacker, Kurtaj, hails from London, and is a part of a hacking group called Lapsus$. He is reported of teaming up with another hacker, whose identity cannot be revealed as his mate is a 17-year-old minor. Together, both of them not only leaked unseen footage and images from GTA 6 but also hacked into the development team’s private Slack channel, threatening to leak the source code for the unreleased game.
GTA 6 hacker is pressed with 12 counts of cybercrime charges
Currently, the GTA 6 hacker Kurtaj is facing 12 counts of charges, including six counts of charges under UK’s Computer Misuse Act, three counts of blackmail, and two counts of fraud. Previously, Kurtaj and his accomplice have hacked various international organizations and leaked confidential data. These include Revolut, Uber, Nvidia, BT Group, EE Limited, and even the City of London Police. It is reported that Uber and Revolut have lost millions of dollars owing to the leaked confidential data by Kurtaj.
Kurtaj and his accomplice had hacked the British broadband service provider, BT group, and a British mobile operator, EE Limited, in 2021 and demanded $4 million as ransom for returning confidential information. According to Uber, the information leaked by the duo in 2022 had cost the ride-sharing service provider a hefty $3 million. The pair is also accused of accessing private information of over 5,000 customers of Revolut.
GTA 6 hacker deemed unfit for trials
While the GTA 6 hacker has been awaiting trial for his crimes, it looks like it isn’t set to happen anytime soon. According to a recent Reuters report, psychiatrists have declared Kurtaj to be mentally unfit for trials, which has caused significant delays in these proceedings.
According to the Reuters report, rather than giving a conclusive verdict right away, a jury will be appointed to verify whether Kurtaj and his underage accomplice was involved in these alleged cybercrimes. Based on the jury’s verdict, it will be determined whether Kurtaj can indeed be pressed with the aforementioned criminal charges.
