Communications of the ACM
Autistic Teen Hacker Sentenced to Indefinite Hospital Confinement
Other members of the Lapsus$ gang remain at large, and some are thought to live in South America.
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An 18-year-old hacker associated with the cybercrime group Lapsus$ has been sentenced to an indefinite stay in a secure hospital after being involved in high-profile data breaches and extortion attempts.
Arion Kurtaj, from Oxfordshire, England, pleaded guilty to 12 offenses including computer intrusion, blackmail, and fraud. He was deemed unfit to stand trial due to his severe autism, but a jury at Guildford Crown Court found that he had committed the criminal acts.
Between 2021 and 2022, the Lapsus$ gang compromised numerous high-profile targets including Uber, Nvidia, Microsoft, Samsung, and others, stealing data and demanding millions in ransoms.
Charged in April 2022, while out on bail, Kurtaj breached video games company Rockstar Games, leaking 90 clips of the unreleased Grand Theft Auto 6 game. A doctor's report warned Kurtaj was at high risk of reoffending. He will be detained indefinitely until doctors approve his release.
From Computing
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