ROCKSTAR Games, developer of the Grand Theft Auto series, experienced a hack where almost a hundred videos of GTA 6 were stolen and illegally uploaded to the internet.
The case is still ongoing, but here is everything we know about the hack so far:
The image released by police to announce the arrest of a teen on suspicion of hacking.
How did someone steal videos of GTA 6?
Following the leak Rockstar released a statement about the events.
It reads: “We recently suffered a network intrusion in which an unauthorised third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our system, including early development footage from the upcoming Grand Theft Auto.”
The company has teamed up with tech company Uber, which experienced a hack earlier this month.
Uber released a statement saying: “There were reports over the weekend that this same actor breached video game maker Rockstar Games.”
The companies involved the FBI and US Department of Justice in the investigation.
Uber was compromised when a hacker obtained the password for a company contractor’s Slack account.
Slack is a messaging service that a number of companies use to contact employees.
After numerous attempts, the contractor accepted the login attempt via the two-factor authentication system.
From here, they were able to access other employees’ accounts with higher permissions.
It is unclear whether they used similar means to bypass Rockstar Games’ security also.
Who is the GTA 6 hacker?
To date, no one has been convicted of the security breach on Rockstar Games.
However, City of London Police announced that they arrested a 17-year-old from Oxfordshire on suspicion of hacking offences.
While the police have not confirmed that the arrest is in connection to the Rockstar case, journalist Matthew Keys reported that sources close to him connected the two.
The teen was held in custody and appeared before Highbury Corner Youth Court on Saturday, September 24.
He has been charged with two counts of breach of bail conditions, and two counts of computer misuse.
If convicted, how long will the alleged GTA 6 hacker spend in jail?
Large-scale hacking cases involving teens have been brought to court in the UK in the past.
The person who hacked Rockstar Games is believed to be a member of the hacking group Lapsu$.
Members of Lapsu$ infiltrated the security of major tech companies such as Microsoft and Nvidia last year.
In April, UK Police arrested and charged seven people, aged 16 to 21, from around the UK believed to have connections to Lapsu$ and the hacks.
Two teens, aged 16 and 17, were charged in connection to the case at Highbury Corner Youth Court, and were released on bail under certain conditions.
This case is still ongoing and no convictions have taken place.
In another hacking case in 2016, several people allegedly with ties to the group “Crackas with attitude”, were arrested on suspicion of hacking accounts linked to members of FBI and NASA.
A 16-year-old was arrested in connection to the case and was tried as a minor.
Justin Liverman, then 23, was convicted in relation to the case and was sentenced to five years in prison.
If the offender is tried as an adult, the maximum sentence for breach of bail conditions in the UK is six months in prison or a fine.
For computer misuse, the maximum sentence for adults is 14 years in prison.
What effect will the hack have on the release of GTA 6?
Rockstar has announced that the leak will not affect the development of the upcoming GTA game.
In a statement, Rockstar said: “At this time we do not anticipate any disruption to our live game services, nor any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects.
“Our work on the next Grand Theft Auto game will continue as planned, and we remain as committed as ever to delivering an experience to you, our players, that truly exceeds your expectations.”
Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.
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