GTA 6 Hacker Receives Indefinite Hospital Order: Lapsus$

An 18-year-old hacker, Arion Kurtaj, has been given an indefinite hospital order after leaking clips from an upcoming Grand Theft Auto game. Kurtaj, who suffers from autism, was a prominent member of the international gang Lapsus$. The gang, known for their attacks on tech giants such as Uber, Nvidia, and Rockstar Games, cost the companies almost $10 million. Due to Kurtaj's skills and inclination towards cybercrime, the judge deemed him a high risk to the public, resulting in his confinement at a secure hospital for an indefinite period unless he is no longer considered a threat. During his time in custody, Kurtaj displayed violent behavior with numerous reports of injury and property damage. Because of his acute autism, doctors ruled him unfit to stand trial, and the jury had to determine whether or not he committed the alleged acts, not if he had criminal intent. A mental health assessment presented in court revealed that Kurtaj expressed a strong desire to return to cybercrime as soon as possible. Despite having his laptop confiscated, Kurtaj managed to breach Rockstar Games using an Amazon Firestick, a hotel TV, and a mobile phone, stealing 90 clips of the unreleased Grand Theft Auto 6. He then posted the stolen material on a forum under the username TeaPotUberHacker, demanding that Rockstar Games contact him within 24 hours. Kurtaj's defense argued that the success of the official game trailer indicated that his hack had not caused significant harm to the developer, but the judge disagreed, citing real victims and harm caused by his other hacks. Rockstar Games stated that the breach cost them $5 million and numerous hours of staff time to recover. Another member of Lapsus$, a 17-year-old who cannot be named due to his age, was also found guilty in the same trial. He collaborated with Kurtaj and other Lapsus$ members to hack Nvidia and BT/EE, stealing data and demanding a $4 million ransom. He was sentenced to an 18-month Youth Rehabilitation Order, which included supervision and a ban on using VPNs online. Additionally, the 17-year-old was convicted of stalking and harassing two young women. While Kurtaj and the 17-year-old are the first members of Lapsus$ to be convicted, it is believed that others are still at large. The group, described as "digital bandits," shocked the cybersecurity world with their audacious attacks, employing both con-man tactics and computer hacking to infiltrate organizations like Microsoft and Revolut. Lapsus$ gained notoriety for publicly celebrating their crimes on the social network app Telegram and taunting their victims in English and Portuguese. The gang's activities prompted US cyber authorities to release a comprehensive report on Lapsus$ and other teenage hacker groups, highlighting the ease with which they were able to breach well-defended organizations. The exact amount of money Lapsus$ earned from their cybercrimes remains unknown, as no companies publicly admitted to paying the hackers, and the hackers did not disclose the passwords to their seized cryptocurrency wallets.