LAPSUS$ Teen Hacker Behind Massive GTA VI Leak Receives Indefinite Hospital Order
The LAPSUS$ saga began in February of 2022 when the group claimed to have breached NVIDIA and then stole 1TB of data. This was followed by the claim that NVIDIA had hacked them back using ransomware, which was subsequently followed by leaks from the dataset. Breaches like these would continue throughout the year, up until poor operational security led to the arrest of seven individuals between the ages of 16 and 21 in connection to LAPSUS$.
In August of this year, a United Kingdom court heard the case wherein it was discovered that a key LAPSUS$ ringleader, Arion Kurtaj, was nabbed in the prior arrests. However, he was deemed not fit to stand trial and, further, was found to be behind the GTA VI leaks from his hotel room. Interestingly, he used an Amazon Fire TV stick and cell phone to act as a computer, which he was not allowed to have while in police protection. It had also been noted that Kurtaj was “violent while in custody with dozens of reports of injury or property damage.”
Thus, a judge has now sentenced Kurtaj to remain in the custody of a secure hospital indefinitely until doctors deem him no longer a danger. This is in part due to the violence and also his high motivation, with reports from the BBC noting that he “continued to express the intent to return to cyber-crime as soon as possible.” Ultimately, while this kid may have some skills, he is still a dangerous threat actor, potentially without the capability to understand the consequences of his actions, which is something he will have to learn.
