GTA 6 leaker committed a daring hack with Travelodge TV and Fire Stick devices
An 18-year-old was found guilty for their part in a cyber-attack campaign against GTA 6 ahead of its announcement date, 2022. Over seven weeks, evidence emerged during his seven week trial showing how this teenager used only an Amazon Fire Stick, Travelodge TV, and smartphone to access GTA 6 clips prior to its official release date.
Arion Kurtaj was arrested twice early 2022 following a string of high-profile and successful cyber attacks against major tech firms such as Microsoft, Nvidia and BT. While in police custody following doxxing by rival hackers, Kurtaj breached Rockstar Games’ messaging service and obtained 90 videos related to GTA 6 development footage before posting them online for leak.
According to reports by BBC, Kurtaj was able to gain access to cloud computing services by way of an old Fire Stick left by another occupant and using this device he accessed Rockstar Slack where he posted ransom demands, including threats that GTA 6’s source code would be released publicly unless ransom payments were met immediately.
However, City of London Police successfully managed to stop further harm from occurring by arresting the teenager red-handed in his hotel room.
Kurtaj didn’t only target Rockstar in his final hack spree; according to reports, Kurtaj may also have collaborated with other hackers while in police custody in attacking online bank Revolut and ride-hailing service Uber.
Kurtaj was part of the Lapsus$ cybercrime group, known for their high-profile cyber attacks over recent years against major tech firms like Microsoft and Nvidia as well as telecom firms like BT and EE. Lapsus$ quickly rose to notoriety for their relentless, often violent cyber-attacks against major targets ranging from major tech players such as Microsoft to telecom giants BT and EE – quickly earning themselves notoriety among hackers worldwide for its presence and its frequency/intensity/attacks!
Kurtaj’s trial, now complete, saw Lapsus$ members often leaving offensive notes after hacks that caused staff members discomfort and harassment. Kurtaj was sentenced to an indefinite, lifetime hospital order after openly admitting an intent to engage in further cybercrime if allowed back out into society.
Kurtaj and another 17-year old involved with Lapsus$ were sentenced in the same trial; neither individual is linked with recent breaches at Rockstar that saw its GTA 6 trailer leak online days prior to official unveiling.
Video game leaks have come under particular scrutiny since Insomniac Games suffered an assault from hackers using malware known as Wurfelbot in January 2017. Hackings and leaks that target video game development firms no longer appear as victimless crimes given how distressful and distressful such experiences can be for developers themselves.
