Long before Rockstar officially unveiled the GTA 6trailer, there had been online speculations. Some reports indicated the game will soon become official. In contrast, others discussed a potential female character within it – and these speculations only intensified further when a gameplay video from GTA 6 leaked online and featured its female protagonist looting restaurants!
According to reports by BBC, the hacker responsible for leaking gameplay video leaks has been sentenced to life imprisonment at a medical prison facility. Additionally, this hacker leaked these videos using various means, including hotel television sets, his cell phone, and an Amazon Fire Stick device.
Lapsus$ hacker Arion Kurtaj was sentenced on Thursday by British authorities as part of their ongoing crackdown against cybercrimes in Britain and has now been given life imprisonment at an institution of care prison, according to a BBC report. A British court found him a high risk to society due to continuing cybercriminal acts.
In August, a London jury concluded that Kurtaj engaged in cyberattacks against GTA 6 developer Rockstar Games and several companies such as Uber and Nvidia. However, due to his autism, the jury only had jurisdiction to judge whether these acts occurred rather than whether there was criminal intent behind their commission.
At an initial court session in early December, it became evident how Kurtaj would return to crime once free. According to The Daily Mail, Kurtaj’s assessor, Dr. Claudia Camden-Smith, when asked by a prosecutor if Kurtaj was “highly motivated to return to offending,” answered affirmatively by noting, “This is what he told me the last time I saw him.”
His hacking companion received an 18-month-long Youth Rehabilitation Order, including intensive supervision and restrictions against using VPNs, according to BBC.
Ending Years of Hacking and Fraud
This verdict marks an end to years of hacking and fraud by Mr Kurtaj, who infiltrated Rockstar Games’ internal Slack communications system and released 90 videos featuring gameplay from GTA VI.
According to BBC, Rockstar reported to the court how their break-in cost them $5 Million in recovery and “thousands of hours of staff time.”
Another member of Lapsus$, aged 17 and protected by legal anonymity, was also found guilty in this trial, facing two charges of fraud, two offenses under the Computer Misuse Act, and blackmail – for which they received a youth rehabilitation order at Guildford crown court in Surrey on Thursday.
On December 5, Rockstar Games decided to deliver a surprise for gamers worldwide by unveiling the GTA 6 trailer on YouTube more than 12 hours early after it leaked prematurely.