An adolescent hacker, who gained fame for his attempt to extort Rockstar Games by leaking Grand Theft Auto 6 to the public, has been deemed mentally unfit to face a trial by a panel of psychiatrists.
This teenage hacker, known for infiltrating prominent entities such as Uber and Nvidia Corp, has caused quite a stir. Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the highest-grossing video games ever and the most commercially successful work of fiction, accumulating a staggering revenue of nearly 8 billion dollars.
Given the monumental success of GTA 5, it’s safe to assume that Grand Theft Auto 6, despite lacking an official trailer, ranks among the most highly anticipated games of this decade.
Consequently, fans eagerly latch onto every rumour surrounding GTA 6, while Rockstar Games endeavours to intercept any leaks that might reach the public eye.
However, the last thing Rockstar Games likely anticipated was a young hacker attempting to extort the company by exploiting the anticipation surrounding the upcoming title.
Arion Kurtaj, an 18-year-old individual affiliated with the hacker group Lapsus$, made an audacious move to blackmail Rockstar Games by releasing the source code of Grand Theft Auto 6 on the internet.
Kurtaj has a track record of hacking into major corporations, as exemplified by his release of private information that inflicted approximately three million dollars in damages upon Uber.
A group of psychiatrists has now concluded that Kurtaj is mentally incapable of standing trial. Consequently, determining whether he committed the alleged crimes rests with the jury, who will assess the evidence and deliver a verdict based on his guilt.
This narrative gives off a distinct Grand Theft Auto 6 side mission vibe, but it’s entirely factual. Kurtaj and an unidentified accomplice demanded a staggering four million dollars in ransom from EE, a prominent British mobile company.
These two hackers were recognized as essential figures within Lapsus$, a widely-spread group suspected of having a well-structured organization. Lapsus$ has targeted significant corporations such as Samsung, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Ubisoft.
Kurtaj is facing charges on three counts of blackmail and nine additional offences, including fraud. His partner, whose name remains undisclosed, is on trial for two counts of fraud and two counts of blackmail.
Furthermore, this individual faces charges of three other interconnected crimes despite maintaining innocence. Rockstar Games has not made any official statements regarding these events or disclosed any information about the release date of Grand Theft Auto 6.