The infamous hacker who gained notoriety for stealing and leaking material from Grand Theft Auto VI has been sentenced to life in a hospital prison. This comes after authorities deemed him a danger if allowed freedom and confirmed that he would continue to commit crimes if given the opportunity.
Rockstar Hacker to Spend His Entire Life in Hospital Prison
Arion Kurtaj, an 18-year-old from Oxford, England, diagnosed with autism, has been sentenced to life through a court order that will keep him in a hospital indefinitely. According to information (via BBC), Judge Patricia Lees and the Southwark Tribunal gathered and analyzed sufficient evidence to determine that young Kurtaj, despite his autism, poses a danger. The attack on Rockstar Games was not the only one, and it might not be the last if action is not taken immediately.
Arion Kurtaj was confirmed as a member of the cybercriminal group Lapsus$, responsible for attacks on companies such as Samsung, NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Rockstar Games, obtaining secret and privileged access information, later extorting companies by demanding payment to avoid releasing the files on the internet. While companies did not negotiate with the criminal group, the dark web market was willing to pay attention to this type of information.
Arion Kurtak Hacked Rockstar Games While in Police Custody
In the case of Arion Kurtaj, it is revealed that he carried out some of his hacks while under police custody in a hotel in the UK. He was reported as a violent person who, in addition to causing physical and verbal harm, threatened to continue committing cybercrimes.
Surprisingly, even with increased police custody, the young individual, who was a minor at the time, hacked Rockstar Games using only the TV in his room, a mobile device, and an Amazon Fire Stick. This resulted in the theft of over 90 videos and information related to GTA 6. Judge Patricia Lees mentioned that, in the case of Rockstar Games alone, the leak impacted the company by $5 billion, causing disruptions across various departments.
Although Arion Kurtaj's defense argued that this was due to his autism, medical study results, as well as the collection of evidence and testimonies, determined that the young individual would return to criminal activities if released. For these reasons, authorities decided he must spend the rest of his life in a hospital institution where, theoretically, he will be controlled to prevent a return to cybercrime.
The report indicates that another Lapsus$ group member, a 17-year-old, was also found guilty of hacking NVIDIA and the telecommunications company BT/EE. However, he received a sentence of 18 months in a juvenile rehabilitation program.
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