The teenage hacker who was responsible for the massive GTA 6 leak last year has been deemed psychiatrically unfit to stand trial. Last year, Rockstar Games was hit with a massive security breach when a hacking group called Lapsus$ managed to grab dozens of videos and assets from the development of the next unannounced Grand Theft Auto. The group was also accused of hacking other major companies prior to this, including Uber and Nvidia.
According to Reuters, 18-year-old Arion Kurtaj, who was 17 when the leaks happened, is standing trial for 12 offences including three counts of blackmail, two counts of fraud and six counts under the Computer Misuse Act. A second teenager is also facing similar charges, though it’s believed that they weren’t involved in the incident.
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In a sudden turn of events, Reuters stated that Kurtaj was “assessed by psychiatrists as not fit to stand trial.” The jury will now not determine if Kurtaj is guilty, but rather decide if they did or did not commit the illegal acts. Kurtaj previously pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and two offences under the Computer Misuse Act as well as breaching bail conditions.
The infamous GTA 6 leak, which was allegedly conducted by the Lapsus$ group, was called one of the worst leaks in the history of gaming. The leak saw dozens upon dozens of videos and assets from the work-in-progress build of Grand Theft Auto 6 leak online including new gameplay mechanics, story details, AI behaviour and much more. In September 2022, Rockstar officially responded to the leak, stating:
“We are extremely disappointed to have any details of our next game shared with you all this way. Our work on the next Grand Theft Auto game will continue as planned and we remain as committed as ever to delivering an experience to you, our players, that truly exceeds your expectations. We will update everyone again soon and, of course, will properly introduce you to this next game when it is ready. We want to thank everyone for their ongoing support through this situation.”
Source: Reuters