A British teenage hacker has been hospitalized indefinitely for treatment after losing control of himself online. Arion Kurtaj, 18, was found liable by a British court in August for committing one of the biggest breaches in video game industry history between August 2020 and September 2022. In this case, “Grand Theft Auto” etc.
The jury concluded that Mr Kurtaj, who was deemed unfit to stand trial by a psychiatrist, had committed numerous offenses of computer misuse, fraud and intimidation.
Prosecutors described him as one of the “key players” of the so-called “Lapsasdol” group that hacked Rockstar Games in 2022 and released footage of the unreleased “Grand Theft Auto 6”. .
He also threatened Rockstar with leaking the hacked source code for the latest release of Grand Theft Auto to an Internet forum.
Courtaj was given a hospital order at Guildford Crown Court, near London, on Thursday, a statement from the City of London Police said.
Advertisement – SCROLL TO CONTINUE
British media reported that Mr Kurtaj, who has autism, will remain in a secure hospital for the rest of his life unless doctors decide he is not at risk.
Kurtaj and a 17-year-old man, whose name cannot be released due to his age, were also charged in February 2022 with hacking the software company Nvidia and threatening to release its intellectual property.
Prosecutors said the pair demanded a $4 million ransom after hacking the servers of broadband provider BT and mobile phone company EE.
Advertisement – SCROLL TO CONTINUE
The 17-year-old was sentenced to a Youth Rehabilitation Order on Thursday for fraud and extortion.
In a statement, the City of London Police urged parents to make sure they know what their children are doing online.
“This case is an example of the dangers young people can be drawn to while online and the serious consequences this can have on someone’s wider future,” Detective Chief Inspector Amanda Horsburgh said.
Advertisement – SCROLL TO CONTINUE
The last version of the game, Grand Theft Auto 5, which revolves around robberies and street violence, was released in 2013 and has since sold 190 million copies and generated approximately $8.5 billion in revenue.
Earlier this month, Rockstar released a trailer for the game’s sixth installment, scheduled for release in 2025.
PDH/JJ/GV