The British justice system has ordered the indefinite admission to a psychiatric hospital of an 18-year-old young man who is behind major computer hacking attacks, including that of the publisher of the famous “Grand Theft Auto” (GTA), which marred the launch of the game had.
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According to the indictment, Arion Kurtaj, 18, was part of the computer hacking group Lapsus$, as was another teenager a year younger who appeared alongside him in court in London.
According to police, his internment was ordered on Thursday by a court in Guildford, south of London.
After a two-month trial, the young man was found guilty of 12 crimes at the end of August, including computer hacking, extortion, fraud and refusing to comply.
Specifically, he blackmailed Rockstar Games, the publisher of GTA, by threatening to “disclose the stolen source code for the sequel to GTA on Internet forums,” the indictment says.
The specialized website PC Gamer revealed in September 2022 the publication of a file containing 90 “GTA VI” videos on gamer forums. Using the pseudonym “teapotuberhacker,” the hacker promised to “disclose more information soon.”
The affair had caused “bad publicity” for Rockstar Games and completely ruined the launch strategy of the game, a real money machine that was as popular as it was criticized for its violence.
Psychologists were of the opinion that Mr. Kurtaj could be found neither guilty nor innocent; The jury therefore only had to determine whether he had committed the alleged acts.
The second teenager, also a member of the hacker group Lapsus$, was found guilty in February 2022 of hacking processor maker Nvidia before threatening to expose key elements of the company. He was also found guilty of fraud, extortion and hacking.
The 17-year-old young man, whose identity has not been revealed for legal reasons, is the subject of rehabilitation measures, according to the City of London Police.
“This case is an example of the dangers young people can face online and the serious consequences this can have on a person’s future,” said Commissioner Amanda Horsburg of the county police.
“Many young people want to explore how technologies work and their vulnerabilities,” she continued, “but unfortunately the digital world can also be enticing to young people for all the wrong reasons.”