GTA 6 Hacker Is A Teen; He Did It Using A TV, Amazon Fire Stick, And His Mobile - Full Story

Those who are even remotely interested in the Grand Theft Auto series by Rockstar Games would be aware that, prior to the official launch of the GTA 6 trailer earlier this month, the game was the subject of a massive leak in the previous year. This leak included hours of unreleased game footage, character models, and even revealed that the game’s setting would be Vice City, Rockstar’s video game interpretation of Miami, Florida.

Now, you might be curious about who was capable of orchestrating a leak of such magnitude. This intricate breach was orchestrated by an 18-year-old teenager named Arion Kurtaj, as per a BBC report. What’s even more shocking is the method he used to execute the hack. He is associated with the notorious Lapsus$ hacker group, but the GTA 6 hack was done within the confines of a hotel room, using only an Amazon Fire TV Stick, a hotel TV, his smartphone, and the hotel WiFi.

The BBC report further added that this hack cost Rockstar Games “nearly $10 million," and the developer reportedly spent another $5 million to mitigate the after effects of the act.

How Did He Hack Rockstar Games?

It is surprising to note that Kurtaj was out on bail when he executed the hack, per BBC. Kurtaj, from his hotel room, using the Fire TV stick, his phone, and more, got into Rockstar’s Slack channel, from where he gained access to more than 90 video clips of GTA 6.

Now, Kurtaj, who hails from Oxford, has been sentenced to indefinite custody at a secure hospital, where he will remain for life. However, what’s concerning is that he has confirmed he will remain aggressive during his custody and wishes to keep his hacking endeavors going if he gets out.

GTA 6 Official Trailer Is Out

Despite the hacks and early leaks, Rockstar has been able to fetch an insane number of views on the official GTA VI trailer. Since its reveal, it has garnered more than 155 million views on YouTube and also 35.2 million views on X (formerly Twitter). In fact, the trailer broke many records; it has surpassed popular YouTuber Mr. Beast’s record for the most-watched non-music video on the platform within 24 hours of its release.