Lapsus$: GTA 6 hacker handed indefinite hospital order
An 18-year-old hacker who leaked clips of a forthcoming Grand Theft Auto (GTA) game has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.
Arion Kurtaj from Oxford, who is autistic, was a key member of international gang Lapsus$.
The gang's attacks on tech giants including Uber, Nvidia and Rockstar Games cost the firms nearly $10m.
The judge said Kurtaj's skills and desire to commit cyber-crime meant he remained a high risk to the public.
He will remain at a secure hospital for life unless doctors deem him no longer a danger.
The court heard that Kurtaj had been violent while in custody with dozens of reports of injury or property damage.
Doctors deemed Kurtaj unfit to stand trial due to his severe autism so the jury was asked to determine whether or not he committed the alleged acts - not if he did so with criminal intent.
A mental health assessment used as part of the sentencing hearing said he "continued to express the intent to return to cyber-crime as soon as possible. He is highly motivated."
The jury was told that while he was on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE and in police protection at a Travelodge hotel, he continued hacking and carried out his most infamous hack.
Despite having his laptop confiscated, Kurtaj managed to breach Rockstar, the company behind GTA, using an Amazon Firestick, his hotel TV and a mobile phone.
In completely unrelated news...
Rumor: GTA 5 Source Code and Other Rockstar Files Leak Online
In an unexpected and significant development, rumors have emerged suggesting that the source code for Grand Theft Auto 5, along with a vast array of other confidential materials from Rockstar Games, have been leaked online. This incident comes after initial reports last year hinted at a partial leak of GTA 5's source code.
Rockstar Games has faced a tumultuous year, grappling with a series of security breaches that have marred its operations. Last year, the company was rocked by a network intrusion, leading to the unauthorized release of nearly an hour's worth of gameplay from the much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6. The situation worsened recently when plans for a grand trailer reveal were upended by another leak which forced the developers to officially release the trailer early. Now, it appears that Rockstar Games is confronting an even more daunting challenge with this latest leak.
A recent tweet from GTA Focal reveals the GTA 5 source code has been leaked online, following its earlier exchange between individuals. It has been reported that today's leak involved a 4GB file predominantly comprising code, yet a complete version encompassing the entire source has not been observed. This extensive source file, which includes assets and 3D models, would likely enable the construction and execution of the game. Given the substantial size of the full source, which is rumored to be around 200GB, its leakage appears to be less straightforward.
The situation worsens with the revelation that the leak not only involves GTA 5 but also encompasses files from the long-awaited, yet unrealized, Bully 2, and portions of code from GTA 6. Additionally, the leak exposes several unreleased DLCs, including the GTA 5 Trevor expansion which was highlighted in previous leaks as well. Also unearthed is a map from a project known as "Agent," a canceled endeavor rumored to draw inspiration from the James Bond franchise.
Other reporting indicates that the leak reveals that there were a total of 8 DLC that were planned but cancelled, presumably because it was more profitable to devote resources to GTA Online than to release additional single-player content.