Grand Theft Auto, also known as GTA, is one of the most popular gaming franchises in the world, and arguably one of the biggest entertainment products ever. This is all despite not having released a game since 2013, with GTA V being the last core game in the storied series. Players have been kept busy with Grand Theft Auto Online, though, as it receives regular content updates from developer Rockstar, but it’s not quite the same.
We live in the age of technology, computers, and interconnectedness. While a good thing in many ways, it also comes with its downsides, such as hacking and leaking. Rockstar was the victim of a massive hacking attack last year, with lots of information on their upcoming GTA 6 being leaked. Now, though, we know
On which platform did the leaker blackmail Rockstar?
The leaker, an eighteen-year-old named Arion Kurtaj from the United Kingdom, blackmailed Rockstar on the popular workplace app Slack. His leak featured a lot of gameplay footage of the leak, gameplay that is still being developed by Rockstar. UK police caught up to him after the leak and then arrested him, following which they learned that he was a part of Lapsus$, a hacker group.
As for the threat itself, Kurtaj is said to have said:
“I am not a Rockstar employee, I am an attacker. If Rockstar does not contact me on Telegram within 24 hours I will start releasing the source code”.
The BBC has even said that this wasn’t the first time Kurtaj has hacked into the database of organizations and then blackmailed them. Kurtaj has a history of cybercrime outside of the GTA 6 leaks as well, since he has stolen SIM card details in the past, using them in the theft of over £100,000 from the cryptocurrency accounts linked to the SIMs.
Where was the hacker when he leaked GTA 6?
Arion Kurtaj was at a hotel when he hacked into Rockstar since his private information was close to being leaked on the internet by other hackers. He had a past criminal record as well, because of which he was out on bail and wasn’t allowed any access to the internet at all. Despite that, he somehow had an Amazon Fire Stick, a mouse, a keyboard, and a brand-new smartphone. He then connected these devices to the TV present in the hotel room to leak the aforementioned gameplay footage as well as blackmail Rockstar.
Of course, after being arrested, Kurtaj was found guilty by the UK courts and is currently awaiting the verdict in terms of his punishment.
Source: The Sports Rush
