The 18-year-old hacker who conducted the massive GTA 6 leak consisting of 90 clips of under-development gameplay footage has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order, as reported by Joe Tidy from BBC.
The hacker, real name Arion Kurtaj (from Oxford, England), is autistic but was found responsible for the cyberattack by a jury. He is part of the hacker group Lapsus$ which has hacked other big companies like Nvidia, Uber, and now Rockstar Games. Kurtaj had bragged about the attack and threatened to release even more stolen data.
The most surprising thing was that Kurtaj carried out this hack while being on bail for hacking Nvidia, as he was kept under observation at a hotel. His laptop was taken away but he used an Amazon Firestick, the TV, and a smartphone to access the internet and steal Rockstar’s files of Grand Theft Auto 6.
First, he threatened that if Rockstar did not contact him within 24 hours, he would start releasing the source code. After that, he released the clips and the source code on a forum under the username TeaPotUberHacker.
This was one of the biggest video game leaks in history which caused losses to Rockstar in the millions. It not only led to financial losses due to development delays and reputational damage but also spoiled the highly anticipated game for fans of the franchise. Moreover, this put the gaming industry’s cybersecurity measures under scrutiny.
This court sentence sends a message to potential hackers that the law does take cyber crime seriously and that there can be long-term repercussions for using your expertise in the wrong way.
Recently, the court heard that he expressed his motivations to commit similar cyber crimes again, once he is freed from jail. Moreover, it was revealed that Kurtaj has been violent in custody with “dozens of reports of injury or property damage.”
The judge deemed him to be a high risk to the public and will remain at a secure hospital for life unless doctors certify that he is no longer a danger.
What is a Hospital Prison?
The verdict for the GTA 6 hacker case has got many people wondering what is a hospital prison. It’s a secured medical facility where inmates get medical care and attention. This is what makes it different from the standard prison.
Inmates can require medical help in varying degrees, so dedicated prison hospitals are equipped with various facilities. Including but not limited to, regular check-ups, surgeries, mental health services, therapy, hospice care, and more.
There could be inmates with infectious diseases, inmates that are high-profile or dangerous, or some that need constant observation, while providing security.
This is why the court determined that an indefinite hospital order, with its secure confinement as well as access to mental health care, was the most appropriate response to handle both the public safety risk and Kurtaj’s individual needs.
As for GTA 6, Rockstar revealed the first trailer slightly earlier than expected due to another leak. It has clocked 155M views since it was posted 2 weeks ago, breaking several records.