And thus, one of the largest video game companies in the world was brought to its knees. Not only that, he ingeniously broke into Rockstar using an Amazon Firestick, the hotel's TV, and a phone. How the teenager allegedly pulled off the heist is perhaps the wildest detail of this saga: while on bail for another hack, Kurtaj did it while in police protection. Because of the stature of the GTA games and the scale of the leaks, Kurtaj's leak is one of the most significant in the history of the gaming industry. By the time the authorities had caught up with him, he had leaked 90 videos of GTA VI gameplay. Kurtaj was arrested in Oxford in September 2022, and he later pleaded not guilty. The game dev told the court that Kurtaj's hack cost the company $5 million.

Kurtaj was a member of the hacking group Lapsus$, with whom he led cyberattacks against tech giants including Uber, Nvidia, and GTA VI developer and publisher Rockstar Games. The court was told that Kurtaj was violent while in custody, and a mental health assessment found that he 'continued to express the intent to return to cyber-crime as soon as possible,' adding that he is 'highly motivated.' Giant Slayer

Kurtaj won't be able to leave the hospital - potentially for life - unless doctors deem him no longer a threat.īecause of his severe autism, Kurtaj was deemed unfit to stand trial, with juries instructed to determine solely if he committed the alleged crimes rather than if he had criminal intent behind them. The judge determined that the British teenager, who has severe autism, is a high risk to the public because he still desires to commit further cybercrimes. Run on SentenceĪrion Kurtaj, the 18-year-old hacker who leaked footage from the upcoming video game Grand Theft Auto VI, has been sentenced to an indefinite stay in a secure hospital, the BBC reports. A judge deemed the teenager a high risk to the public.

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