UK Court Concludes Teenager Behind Lapsus$ Hacking Campaign

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https://www.securityweek.com/uk-court-concludes-teenager-behind-huge-hacking-campaign/

A UK court on Wednesday found a teenager responsible for a hacking campaign that included one of the biggest breaches in the history of the video game industry. Arion Kurtaj, 18, was described by the prosecution as one of the “key players” in the Lapsus$ group that hacked Rockstar Games in 2022 and published footage from its still unreleased “Grand Theft Auto 6”. Following a two-month case at London’s Southwark Crown Court, a jury unanimously concluded that Kurtaj, whom psychiatrists deemed was unfit to stand trial, had carried out 12 offences.

They included carrying out an unauthorized act to impair the operation of a computer, blackmail and fraud. Kurtaj also threatened Rockstar Games he would leak the hacked source code for its latest Grand Theft Auto releases onto internet forums. Grand Theft Auto 5, the last iteration of the game that revolves around heists and street violence, was released in 2013 and has since sold 170 million copies and generated some $7 billion in revenue.

Kurtaj and a 17-year-old youth, whose name cannot be published because of his age, were also accused of hacking software company Nvidia in February 2022 and threatening to release its intellectual property. The 17-year-old was on Wednesday found guilty of fraud and blackmail. Prosecutors said the pair hacked the servers of broadband provider BT and mobile operator EE before demanding a $4-million (3.7-million-euro) ransom. Sentencing dates have yet to be fixed for either defendant.

UK Court Concludes Teenager Behind Huge Hacking Campaign

A UK court found a teenager responsible for a hacking campaign that included one of the biggest breaches in the history of the game industry.

www.securityweek.com

Online gaming communities could be a vital lifeline for young men struggling silently with mental health issues, according to new research. My colleagues and I analyzed an all-male online football gaming community over the course of a year. We discovered that members who reported more depressive symptoms and less real-life support were roughly 40% more likely to form and maintain social ties with fellow gamers compared with those reporting more real-life support. This finding suggests the chat and community features of online games might provide isolated young men an anonymous “third place” – or space where people can congregate other than work or home – to open up, find empathy and build crucial social connections they may lack in real life.

Online gaming communities could provide a lifeline for isolated young men − new research

For young men who struggle with mental health or lack connections in real life, chat and community features of online games can be a source of support.

theconversation.com

 

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In movies, a hacker typically sits at a large desk with a slew of cutting-edge technology in front of them. In real life, it turns out all you need is an Amazon Fire TV stick, smartphone, keyboard and mouse to steal and leak clips from a game like the hotly anticipated yet to be released Grand Theft Auto IV. That's exactly what Arion Kurtaj, a member of hacking group Lapsus$, did while already on bail for allegedly hacking NVIDIA, the BBC reports. The 18-year-old infiltrated Rockstar Games, which created GTA VI, going so far as to announce himself as an "attacker" in the company's slack channel. The scene of the crime? A UK Travelodge hotel officials had placed him in.

Kurtaj was moved to the hotel after hackers "doxxed" him, releasing detailed information about him and his family online, and compromising his safety. While there he was allowed no internet access — something he used the Fire TV Stick to get around. Further details of Kurtaj's illegal stunt became public following a seven-week trial and his being found guilty of hacking Rockstar, neobank Revolut and Uber.

'GTA VI' hacker leaked footage using a Fire TV Stick in a budget UK hotel room | Engadget

The member of Lapsus$, a group of hackers, was out on bail at the time..

www.engadget.com