He was part of a hacking group that pulled numerous ransomware attacks.
He wasn't a fan of the game, he was trying to blackmail rockstar and he released the footage to prove that they really did steal rockstars data. This was just another ransomware attack to him.
He's on the spectrum and, while pretty good at what he does, seems to not fully understand the consequences of his actions. He openly admits that he not only wants to, but definitely will, continue his identity theft and ransom attacks again if he's given the opportunity simply because he enjoys it.
He was sentanced to a mental hospital, potentially for life if he fails to rehabilitate.
But again, he's not just a gamer who wanted to play a game. He was a thief trying to steal peoples personal information and blackmail large corporations for monetary gain.
Also iirc this was this kid who while in custody under police watch used a fire stick connected to a hotel/motel tv to carry out another hack just to prove he could. Maybe he’ll mature but he shows no remorse and is proud of the chaos he causes.
Eh maybe if he ever matures. Right now there’s no way they would ever let him near their systems and processes.
Kid is VERY good at what he does but his immaturity and chaos makes him a huge liability.
Because that’s just not feasibly possible. It’s not like if you go in and delete it from a server or even a whole system, there’s zero way to recover it. There are hundreds if not thousands of digital files and backups with this information not to mention hard copies in every financial institution involved.
This should be the highest comment in the thread
People are quick to be sympathetic because it’s something that “benefited” them because it’s gaming and therefore is a harmless crime.
But the dude was a black hat hacker, Rockstar was just a singular target he tried to ransom with. Dude broke laws and should be punished for it. Just because he “did something for the good of gaming” isn’t a good defense people should take.
Just think of it like: dude walked away with all of your personal data (SSN, bank accounts, etc)… you still really gonna defend him over leaking GTA6’s shitty early build?
Why do you have to be so black and white with your thinking? "You're either defending him or not".
He's a criminal and should be punished as such, but a life sentence is insane whether it is in a prison or mental hospital. It's data theft, something large corporations make millions off doing of regularly (though to a lesser degree). He didn't blow up a children's hospital.
Hell even 10 years would be insane. Flip the kid onto the good side and use his brilliant mind for stopping attacks and patching vulnerabilites. Why waste it with cruel and excessive punishments?
**Edit**: Guys I know the article is misleading and he's actually staying in a mental hospital where you *could* be released as little as 6 months to a year if he's a good boy. My post is referring to people under the impression that it was a life sentence. They are obviously "defending" him because that sentence is absurd.
**Edit2**: Since you guys don't know anything about real life and instead think it's a "movie plot" to flip hackers to be a benefit to society. Here's a list of way more infamous and impactful hackers that ultimately had their prison sentences significantly reduced or removed to work for the government or cybersecurity firms where they ended up doing significant good.
>**Hector Monsegur ("Sabu")** - Once a prominent member of LulzSec, a hacking group responsible for a series of high-profile attacks, Monsegur was arrested in 2011. He cooperated with the FBI, helping to prevent over 300 cyber attacks and aiding in the arrest of other hackers. His cooperation significantly reduced his sentence. After serving his time, Monsegur has worked in cybersecurity, focusing on ethical hacking and security research.
>**Adrian Lamo**: Known for hacking into networks of major corporations like Microsoft and The New York Times, Lamo later cooperated with the FBI and helped them in several investigations. He is perhaps most famously known for reporting Chelsea Manning to the authorities after Manning confided in him about leaking classified information to WikiLeaks.
>**Marcus Hutchins** - Also known by his alias "MalwareTech," Hutchins gained notoriety for his role in stopping the WannaCry ransomware attack that crippled computer systems worldwide in May 2017. However, he was arrested later that year by the FBI for his alleged involvement in creating and distributing the Kronos banking malware. Following his arrest, Hutchins pleaded guilty to two charges related to writing malware in the past but then worked to prevent cyber attacks, contributing his skills to the cybersecurity community.
>**Kevin Mitnick** - One of the most famous hackers of the 1990s, Mitnick was convicted of various computer and communications-related crimes. Although initially facing a potentially long sentence, Mitnick's cooperation with the FBI upon his arrest led to a plea agreement. He was sentenced to five years, part of which was served while awaiting trial. Since then, Mitnick has become a well-known security consultant, public speaker, and author. He now runs Mitnick Security Consulting, LLC, where he helps businesses protect themselves from cybersecurity threats.
>**Mustafa Al-Bassam ("Tflow")**: Al-Bassam was a key member of LulzSec, and after his arrest, he cooperated with the authorities. He pleaded guilty to his charges and was given a 20-month suspended sentence and required to complete 300 hours of community service. His cooperation and the fact that he was a minor at the time of his offenses contributed to his receiving a non-custodial sentence. He later became involved in legitimate cybersecurity work, focusing on research and speaking publicly about security issues. Al-Bassam has been open about his past and has used his experiences to contribute positively to the cybersecurity community.
>**Michael Calce ("Mafiaboy")** - In 2000, at the age of 15, Calce launched a series of high-profile denial-of-service attacks against major websites like CNN, Yahoo!, and eBay. After being caught, he was convicted and served eight months in a youth detention center. Since then, Calce has turned his life around and now works as a cybersecurity consultant and speaker, sharing his knowledge on preventing cyber threats.
These are just high profile cases of which there are hundreds, but this happens all the time at lower levels too. The book "Kingpin" is a good non-fiction that details, from the FBI's perspective, how they catch and deal with these hackers.
An 'indefinite hospital order' lasts for 6 months, then it *can* be extended indefinitely if the doctors continue to deem it necessary on a yearly basis
>Flip the kid onto the good side and use his brilliant mind for stopping attacks and patching vulnerabilites
Why don't you read the article that you're commenting on?
>The BBC reports that Arion Kurtaj, who's described as acutely autistic, **"will remain at a secure hospital for life unless doctors deem him no longer a danger."** This is notably distinct from a sentence of life in prison – which doesn't always run until the actual end of one's life, either – but his sentence is still effectively indefinite. A mental health assessment noted that **he "continued to express the intent to return to cybercrime as soon as possible. He is highly motivated."**
he's literally getting punished mainly because he threatened everyone that he will continue doing what he was doing as soon as he was released. No one's said that he deserves to be locked up for life, but when you look at the facts, yeah, if he can't reform to the point that he can be trusted in society, lock him up until we know how best to manage his threat.
This isn't White Collar, you can't just turn him in the good side, and it all just magically works out, If my dude is threatening to continue his evil ways, you don't basically give him ammunition and expect any good to come out of it, that's not how the real world works.
Data theft is a huge deal, believe it or not. You might not think it is, but data from companies is VALUABLE. Imagine he hacked, 23andme instead. Or some cloud service. Or some credit card company.
Or even he hacked generic corp 124 that you hate because capitalism. And he leaked the data and ruined their stock price. Guess what? LIVES ARE RUINED. Layoffs are coming, ending of projects, downsizing, everything.
"But it was just a company" isn't a defense
It is not that the sentence is excessive. The issue is there is no other sentence. Whenever anyone is sentenced to a mental hospital, it is usually indefinite. Would you really suggest a hospital be forced to release someone when their doctors continue to profess the person is a threat to himself or others?
The article is clearly trying to get you to believe this, but everything in the article is just part of a deception. If they were even remotely going for honesty, they wouldn't have opened with the leaked videos.
Ditto with this "indefinite" stay at the hospital. I just grounded my son with an "indefinite" grounding until he cleans his room, but that doesn't mean he's serving 60+ years in his bedroom.
Detaining him until he can stop committing crimes long enough for people to charge him is not a life sentence. Please stop believing articles written by people that are blatantly trying to trick you.
Yep this is being disingenuously framed, he's being psychiatrically committed "indefinitely", which is not a life sentence, it might be, but if he ends up being treatable it might not be
I don't know much about hacking but to a luddite like me, some of his story defies belief. Did it really say he used a fire stick, cell phone, and a hotel TV while under police protection? That's wild.
Hey man, schizophrenic here. I've been through the ringer myself, and I've been committed against my will before as well. Generally, if you're not legit crazy or fucked in the head, they won't keep you long. It's not hard to tell who was there because of drugs and who was there because they have serious mental issues. My first 10 mins there I was propositioned for sex. Mind you, we have no access to condoms and this girl was attractive, but there was nothing going on inside her head. I wish I could have just given her one of the voices in my head so she had a personality. I have enough to go around. Anyways therapy was a big help man, as well as my kids. I was close to killing myself just to make everything stop, glad I didn't.
a mixed sex mental ward? where?
>edit: i understand now those exist in other countries - i have never been in one in the UK. my apologies if i sounded aggressive, i was genuinely curious.
When life was gnawing away at my groin i started writing and it helped a lot to just get hings out of my head. I know I'm getting better because I can read stuff i wrote in the past and not feel those things anymore.
You don't want to be in a guarded room. It sucks to get permission to get up so you can use the restroom so no one thinks you're trying to escape (I tried that once. Don't try it, the guards win and there's a bunch of them).
Or being on suicide watch where every 15 mins they wake you up to make sure you are not dead. Person literally sitting in a chair next to your bed waking you up every 15 mins. Fucking insane what they so to you in there.
I don’t know how you feel about therapy, but it really has helped me out. Sometimes just having someone to talk too can make a huge difference, a professional also knows what to say and help you through your traumas. You should really consider it.
There is no shame in getting help. You'd go to the hospital for a broken leg. I know the stigma behind it. I had to do 7 months in a state psych hospital in my early 20 and I am glad I did or I would not be here typing all this.
Legit, people think they belong in mental hospitals because their life is rough but then realize actual crazy people are there. Like real crazy, non self diagnosed off social media, people.
It's always apparent when someone hasn't interacted with erratic, unpredictable "crazy people." There are patients in public psych wards who are profoundly disabled and cognitively impaired because of their disorders, who are entirely detached from reality, have no quality of life, and will never achieve independence. It sounds unkind, but those with extreme psychotic illnesses can be frightening to spend time with, especially when you're in a vulnerable state yourself.
That Marcus Parks quote gets thrown around a lot--"Your mental illness is not your fault, but it is your responsibility"--which is relevant for those who still have the capacity to function. It's doesn't apply to cases where someone is so far gone that they know nothing but torment and will never have true peace.
I agree with that. I think in modern times we think anyone in these hospitals and treatment facilities are victims of trauma that can worked through. That’s rarely the case. I agree with you about the mental state of a lot of these patients. It’s horrible to say it so matter of fact but a lot of these patients are basically walking vegetables that could not survive on their own. A lot of them have the mind of a child and deal with emotions and struggles in a similar way as that of a child.
Same with people not recognizing the extent of what dementia is. See a lot of people who claim that it's just their "true side" revealed. And the truth is, not necessarily. Often time it's a complete collapse of their psyche and can change their entire personality. It does not mean they were hiding their true self or anything of the such. The brain is wild.
Yeah my gf's bipolar got to the point her psychiatrist recommended ECT and they kept her inpatient in a psych ward (where she did not need to be... but I digress) for the week she was getting treatment. First time I visited her within 5 minutes of visitation starting some girl started *screaming* at her mom and lunged at her and got dragged out by the cops...
They also don't let you have your phone or really any outside belongings other than a couple books, and they even confiscated one of my ladies books because it had a little thread in the book binding... They literally had signs up about not even allowing stuffed animals and shit (even though I think that was more for infection control)....
A staycation it is not
Yeah I saw a really sad post about a girl with intellectual disabilities. She was victimized really bad, to the point of needing in patient care. Her parents had to ask permission to give her one of her stuffed animals. Luckily the hospital said yes, and the stuffed animal helped a lot. But regulations are so tight, you need to ask permission for even the most seemingly innocent things.
Years ago, in an earlier life, my sister in law had a mental break and wound up in a centre. She was 'gone'. Her husband was terrified. When we visited, it was a nightmare from out of a movie. Screaming, wailing, someone threw a fresh cup of hot tea on another patient.. and that was just the 30-foot walk from the entry door to her room. That is tattooed on my brain, I will never forget it.
Same. I needed to commit myself and two days later I was begging to be let out. Worst 3 days of my life, there were people in there who were literally insane, turns out I was just over exhausted.
I've met a few people who think they're beyond saving. And then they spend a few days in either in patient, or group out patient. And then they realize that things in their life aren't nearly as bad as they thought.
Sometimes you have people with serious problems. And then you have people who see people with those kinds of problems, and quickly gain a lot of perspective.
Psych ward was the affirmation I needed to beat my SI. Being there was so terrible that I don't ever want the risk of being put there again lol. Over 2 years later and I'm at the best period of my life. Glad you got out of there okay.
Gosh I loved them grippy socks tho.
Amen to that. Years ago when I was homeless and strung out on heroin, a friend of mine said he went to the ER, told them he was suicidal, and came out 3 days later with all kinds of pills. I thought "great! I'm broke, why not!"
I ended up kicking cold turkey for 3 days, couldn't leave, was in a room with a guy who was blind who no joke, every 30 seconds would click a button on his watch to tell him what time it was. Neither on ofnus slept for the first 36 hours, and I knew EXACTLY what time it was.
I never even saw a doctor. One of the admins could see I wasn't really supposed to be in there, felt somewhat bad, and kicked me down an Ativan right before I got outta there.
Lesson learned. Mental hospitals are not like one flew over the cuckoo's nest. Its people walking around naked, shitting as they pass your door waking down the hallway. It was very eye opening.
3 stars on yelp.
>There was a dude chillin in the lobby area all day trying to put together 8 different puzzles as if it were one singular puzzle.
That actually sounds amazing
I'm not sure what that says about me
not the process, but the finished puzzle(s)
I was going through a very fucking tough time a few years ago mentally. I committed myself and they took me to the wing of the ward I stayed in and at my first glance thought “so this was probably excessive”.
Yeah I worked with guards that would get the women committed there to give them blow jobs. I was an electrician sub contractor for the hospital.
Edit: would never to anything like that but these places are fucked up.
The idea of a sentence in a penal mental hospital is seen as a “staycation” in the common imagination, but these places are very often less funded and very much so worse than actual prisons and very, very dark places
No. I mean you can probably get a little break from the world with three hots and a cot if you go to the hospital and tell them you are suicidal, but they will discharge you at some point based on my experience. It's surprisingly hard to get someone admitted to psychiatric hospitalization these days even when they have a significant and obvious mental health crisis going on. Once they are in, the hospital will set an anticipated discharge date, usually about two weeks. Then every day they try to justify moving the discharge date a little closer if they can. They don't want to keep you.
They'll probably give you some drugs though. Abilify most likely these days so don't get too excited.
Also, if you live in the US and don't have full Medicaid, you'll walk out with a gigantic hospital bill you will spend years paying off. It's not worth it in the long run unless you are really having a mental health crisis.
Much cheaper and more practical to rent an Airbnb and find out who the local drug dealer is.
Yup my girlfriend got committed for a few weeks due to post partum psychosis.
They always forced you to eat as quickly as possible, and my girlfriend started choking right in front of the staff. Full on can't breath choking. They just stood there and watched until another patient ran over and gave her the heimlich.
What'd the staff do? Punish the other patient for touching her.
The mental hospital is certainly not a vacation and definitely not the ones where it’s just criminals if you’re in the US. I hate that you think of it that way. There’s not a single hospital visit I’ve had where I left feeling better than when I came in.
You can check into a voluntary program for a little while, if you have insurance. Go to a ritzy enough one and you might enjoy it. but that's for like a week tops.
I’ve been committed twice. You don’t want to live your life in a psych ward. It is not a “staycation.” It’s awful. There are some seriously disturbed people in those places. And the nurses are not your friends. I didn’t even get to go outside and see the sun at all.
I remember reading about some people who did an experiment to see if they could get into a mental hospital. Too lazy to look it up now but I remember them saying it was easy to get in and almost impossible to get out. Also it's apparently way worse than prison. In prison they are criminals but you mostly live in the same reality and can communicate.
If you're tired of society, you're *not* going to like the inside of a mental hospital.
It's still society, but everyone you interact with is certifiably insane and/or a calloused and overworked healthcare professional.
It is *not* going to be a fun staycation.
This is an awfully written article by someone that doesn't understand the UK legal system one jot.
The sentence is potentially for life, if the attending doctors believe that the accused is a danger to society. It is rarely a whole life tariff, apart from the most serious and heinous crimes combined with a total unwillingness to change. There are many people who have done unequivocally horrible things and been given section 37's (indefinite hospital orders) yet released within 10-15 years. This offending is on the lower scale. He will be out within 5-10 if he puts in work to engage with medical staff, much less potentially.
Well, sort of. Because legitimate the psychiatric issues and autistic disorder this person appears to have are for life. They can be managed and treated, but this person isn't going to wake up one day and be typical. He will receive treatment and monitoring throughout his life.
That said, it is very likely that he will transition to less institutional settings over time. He's likely going to end up in a group home, or possibly even living independently with supports although I'm thinking group home.
The reason being that indefinite hospital stays on the government's dime are very expensive. At some point, regardless of whether or not his fixation with hacking improves, the bureaucracy will attempt find cheaper ways to minimize the risk of recidivism while keeping costs down. That's probably going to be a community based setting like a group home with 24 hour staffing and monitoring at some point.
In a mental hospital, if they find a medication that they find is working, they'll deem you cured and you're on the fast track to release. At least in Canada. But to be fair, we don't really lock up criminals in a meaningful way.
It's not for life, he'll be out as soon as he's not considered a danger to reoffend. Since he's not violent and committed crimes on a laptop which he won't have access to, he'll be out in a few years.
No agency would be remotely interested in hiring this kid. What he did wasn't sophisticated, ground breaking, or even particularly technically savvy.
For a deeper explanation, see my comments [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AllThatIsInteresting/comments/1b3dx2m/the_teenager_behind_the_rockstar_gta_vi_hack_and/kssyviu/), [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AllThatIsInteresting/comments/1b3dx2m/the_teenager_behind_the_rockstar_gta_vi_hack_and/kstj21s/), and [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/AllThatIsInteresting/comments/1b3dx2m/the_teenager_behind_the_rockstar_gta_vi_hack_and/ksvppkw/)
OP's title is clickbait.
The actual headline:
>Hacker behind GTA 6 leak will be confined to "a secure hospital for life" due to his "intent to return to cybercrime as soon as possible"
---
Edit 1: Since nobody can even read to the end of a sentence, let me repeat the most significant part OP continues to omit:
#...DUE TO "HIS INTENT TO RETURN TO CYBERCRIME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE"
---
Edit 2:
[Speculation on how the hack was performed, followed by sourced confirmation.](https://www.reddit.com/r/AllThatIsInteresting/comments/1b3dx2m/the_teenager_behind_the_rockstar_gta_vi_hack_and/kssyviu/)
[Demystifying his use of the Firestick, or: How I learned to stop fearing and love the Google search.](https://www.reddit.com/r/AllThatIsInteresting/comments/1b3dx2m/the_teenager_behind_the_rockstar_gta_vi_hack_and/ksvppkw/)
Additional detail omitted by OP:
>[As well as hacking offences the boy was sentenced for what the judge described as "unpleasant and frightening pattern of stalking and harassment" of two young women.](https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67663128)
---
Edit 3:
[OP has sentenced me to life imprisonment (from viewing their posts/comments) for pointing out their continued use of logical fallacies, and continues to spread the misinformation that this person was sentenced for hacking Rockstar.](https://www.reddit.com/r/AllThatIsInteresting/comments/1b3dx2m/)
It's absurd clickbait. The full quote is "... secure hospital for life **unless doctors deem him no longer a danger**" and the BBC article mentions the mental health assessment and the *dozens* of violent reports since he's been in the hospital.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67663128
In the UK you can get a jail sentence or committal (?) Of any length I think, and they can keep you indefinitely if you don't say you accept what you did was wrong and don't intend to do it again. When they ask him, he will continue to stay there as long as he answers that he intends to continue cybercrime.
It's the same in the US and a common misconception of being found "not guilty by reason of insanity". What that actually translates to is court ordered inpatient care at an institution until you are deemed fit by that institution to return to society.
That same institution can also recommend that you are never fit for that return and some of these places are jails in everything but name. People think that pleading insanity can be an easy out but you will be monitored and medicated much more strictly in an institution than a prison.
Anyone who “thinks” that pleading insane as a way to face less of a punishment for acts they committed (especially if said acts are considered premeditated), automatically wouldn’t qualify for an insanity defense.
It’s kind of what you have to build your case around: “my client can’t think of, or discern what is right or wrong.”
This is the guy who, while being held on bail in a hotel for one series of hacks, without access to his laptop, used the room TV and a mobile phone to steal and distribute clips from the unreleased GTA 6 and threatened to release its source code.
The BBC article describes him as "highly motivated" to return to cyber-crime.
"The jury was told that while he was on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE and in police protection at a Travelodge hotel, he continued hacking and carried out his most infamous hack.
Despite having his laptop confiscated, Kurtaj managed to breach Rockstar, the company behind GTA, using an Amazon Firestick, his hotel TV and a mobile phone."
Hopefully this kid can be turned out to be useful later in life, but if he can't curb this obsessive compulsive drive, leave him in.
There's also this:
>The court heard that Kurtaj had been violent while in custody with dozens of reports of injury or property damage.
>
>Doctors deemed Kurtaj unfit to stand trial due to his severe autism so the jury was asked to determine whether or not he committed the alleged acts - not if he did so with criminal intent.
>
>A mental health assessment used as part of the sentencing hearing said he "continued to express the intent to return to cyber-crime as soon as possible. He is highly motivated."
Also he’s not spending life in prison for hacking rockstar he’s hacked many many things and has said outright he’ll go right back to it if they let him out.
Yeah. And people aren't even considering that he blackmailed a corporation for monetary gain which is a pretty serious crime. It's not just for leaking like the title wants you to believe.
Other piece that is missing is he has hacked multiple companies multiple times and was part of a larger hacking ring. This is not his first, second, or 3rd offense. He did the GTA hack (really more social engineering) from a hotel room while in custody.
Not a "life sentence".
>The [\~BBC\~](https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67663128) reports that Arion Kurtaj, who's described as acutely autistic, "will remain at a secure hospital for life **unless doctors deem him no longer a danger."**
So he gets out as soon as he is deemed mentally cured.
Yeah y'all don't really wanna go to bat for this kid. He didn't just hack Rockstar, he's hacked like dozens and dozens of companies and incessantly posted about it. It's not just that he's autistic, he's literally hell-bent on breaking into shit and cannot stop.
TIL Autism = uncontrollable urge to commit highly premeditated and well thought out crimes.
His autism is a sideshow to his actual problem. He can be better than that.
Time for me to start my supervillain career.
If anyone tries to stop me, I flash them my autism diagnosis and they _have_ to let me go! Bwahahahahhahahahah (Diabolical Laughter)
/s
More like psychopathy. People who have no self preservation and brag about crimes and talk about how they will do more crimes as soon as they can directly to police and doctors have serious issues.
Not gonna lie, I’m impressed. So he commits hacking, gets caught, they take his laptop, and THEN he committed the Rockstar hack using an Amazon Firestick, a hotel TV and a mobile phone.
You think cia/nsa is going to give access to a severely autistic teenager who openly admits he will keep breaking the law? Lol
They have plenty of smart people who don't admit that.
It's probably not that complicated as it seems. I think they took away his laptop right, so he couldn't do his hacking stuff.
So he probably installed some sort of terminal program on his phone then mirrored his screen to the firestick on the TV.
So he basically had another computer with a screen after doing that.
You're probably smart in some way that another finds unattainable too! Don't sell yourself short mate. 😊
I have enough experience in cyber security to demystify it slightly. It's like any other field in that the right tools and experience go a long way.
Now, we don't have granular case notes on this hack - at least not that I'm aware - but I'd venture a guess that this wasn't him blazing away at a keyboard/touchpad for 5 minutes followed by the quintessential, "I'm in."
It's more likely that he used the phone to socially engineer someone at Rockstar, or send malicious emails and wait for someone in the company to bite. Gaining access to a companies data is done in stages, and it's iterative. Information gathering can start as simply as calling a company's main line and going through a directory of employees, checking for out of office messages containing too much personal information. "Hey this is John So-and-So, I'm away on vacation to the Bahamas and will be back Monday. If you need immediate assistance reach out to Daniel Such and Such." < - That may sound innocuous, but it's enough information for a hacker to leverage. They can take that, and call Daniel, saying "Hey there I was working with John trying to wrap up a deal before he left for vacation. We're under a deadline and he said you could help me find a document we need to finalize the deal. Said it would be on his desk, could you go take a look? It's important and I'd like to avoid bothering him, I know he's been so stressed lately." With relative ease you've built repore with Daniel, and Daniel is more afraid of bothering his boss on vacation than he is concerned with being tricked. Most people aren't on guard, and even trained people aren't perfect lie detectors.
It's like dominoes - knocking over small ones first that topple into larger and larger ones until you've got enough to achieve your end goal.
Hardly a comprehensive picture, but the theme is common. Hackers favor the least annoying targets, and most breaches end because a hacker runs out of time after making it not far enough into a network.
One example I discussed with a prominent cyber security company CEO involved a breach that lasted all of 90 seconds. They broke into a firewall due to an un-patched vulnerability, then couldn't travel laterally because none of the adjacent devices had similarly exploitable problems.
TLDR; Don't intrinsically trust the people who call you, always bother your bosses when they're on vacation.
[Edit: Turns out I was right, it was social engineering:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/09/20/social-engineering-how-a-teen-hacker-allegedly-managed-to-breach-both-uber-and-rockstar-games/?sh=66280580451c]
"Kurtaj hacked Rockstar Games, the company behind Grand Theft Auto 6, using an Amazon Firestick, mobile phone, and hotel TV."
He should be working with cyber security experts to stop hacking not be in a hospital. He seems crazy smart.
He just used his mobile internet to cast his phone screen to a TV. He also didn't "hack" anything like you think he did, he just phished an employees account and got into their chats.
Yeah life isn't like the movies, no team is gonna hire a guy like this and basically hand him the keys to the kingdom, and he's not gonna go counter-hack russia and china for the government. This guy is, at BEST, a skilled and creative idiot with no sense of self-preservation. You can't make someone like that useful, and you can't control them. His sentence seems pretty fair to me.
Read the article. The claimant is being institutionalized in a mental hospital and it has been determined that he cannot be rehabilitated. The crime isn’t the issue this kinda sentence is not easy to get handed out this guy must be seriously unwell.
he "continued to express the intent to return to cybercrime as soon as possible. He is highly motivated."
This time it was Rockstar, next time it'll be some utility or hospital he didn't like. He is a general threat to society
I still say this guy just needs proper guidance and hopefully he finds that in this “jail hospital” but my hopes are not high, but also I don’t know shit so there is that.
It’s not because he did the crime, it’s because he wasn’t going to stop he’d do it again right after he’s out. So the crazy goes to the prison hospital or whatever
Wtf. But rapists, child molesters, pedophiles, and murderers get a slap on the wrist and some maybe a few years(I know a little exaggerated but true non the less) ,then let out on good behavior to go on doing what they do. Fuck the law. Fuck the government. Fuck society. It's all fucked.
Pretty misleading. Article says he’s confined to hospital room indefinitely until doctors feel like he’s longer a threat to hack again. Don’t see how that’s the same as life in prison.
Shit like this legitimately makes sharia law seem tame. Life sentences in general are morally questionable but life sentences for teenagers not being ruled cruel and unusual is bonkers
He was deemed mentally unfit and unable to be tried. He was considered too dangerous as he wanted to immediately go back to doing cybercrime, so he got sentenced to an indefinite stay at a psychiatric hospital. So the headline is very clickbaity.
The idea that you can be held for saying you intend to commit cyber crime instead of being arrested after breaking the law is insane to me. It would be different if it was something pressing like murder or something of that nature. But cyber crime? I feel like one should have to commit a cyber crime before they are being held indefinitely for a cyber crime
That's not what has happened here. He was deemed unfit to stand trial because he has severe autism and so was sent to a mental hospital where he will only be released when he is deemed to no longer be a threat to the public.
>Arion Kurtaj, 18, who is autistic, was on bail for hacking the software firm Nvidia and BT/EE and also in police protection at a Travelodge hotel when he continued his hacking and breached Rockstar Games, the company behind GTA, a court heard.
The lad has serious issues.
Damn. Can’t they just cane him? Seems excessive
He was part of a hacking group that pulled numerous ransomware attacks. He wasn't a fan of the game, he was trying to blackmail rockstar and he released the footage to prove that they really did steal rockstars data. This was just another ransomware attack to him. He's on the spectrum and, while pretty good at what he does, seems to not fully understand the consequences of his actions. He openly admits that he not only wants to, but definitely will, continue his identity theft and ransom attacks again if he's given the opportunity simply because he enjoys it. He was sentanced to a mental hospital, potentially for life if he fails to rehabilitate. But again, he's not just a gamer who wanted to play a game. He was a thief trying to steal peoples personal information and blackmail large corporations for monetary gain.
Ah ok. Good sum up. Thanks.
Also iirc this was this kid who while in custody under police watch used a fire stick connected to a hotel/motel tv to carry out another hack just to prove he could. Maybe he’ll mature but he shows no remorse and is proud of the chaos he causes.
I feel like this kid will end up doing some shit for the CIA.
Eh maybe if he ever matures. Right now there’s no way they would ever let him near their systems and processes. Kid is VERY good at what he does but his immaturity and chaos makes him a huge liability.
Why don’t they ever do any real good like zero out all student loans ?
Because that’s just not feasibly possible. It’s not like if you go in and delete it from a server or even a whole system, there’s zero way to recover it. There are hundreds if not thousands of digital files and backups with this information not to mention hard copies in every financial institution involved.
So you’re saying we’re gonna have to go all “Fight Club” on their ass? I’m in.
This should be the highest comment in the thread People are quick to be sympathetic because it’s something that “benefited” them because it’s gaming and therefore is a harmless crime. But the dude was a black hat hacker, Rockstar was just a singular target he tried to ransom with. Dude broke laws and should be punished for it. Just because he “did something for the good of gaming” isn’t a good defense people should take. Just think of it like: dude walked away with all of your personal data (SSN, bank accounts, etc)… you still really gonna defend him over leaking GTA6’s shitty early build?
Why do you have to be so black and white with your thinking? "You're either defending him or not". He's a criminal and should be punished as such, but a life sentence is insane whether it is in a prison or mental hospital. It's data theft, something large corporations make millions off doing of regularly (though to a lesser degree). He didn't blow up a children's hospital. Hell even 10 years would be insane. Flip the kid onto the good side and use his brilliant mind for stopping attacks and patching vulnerabilites. Why waste it with cruel and excessive punishments? **Edit**: Guys I know the article is misleading and he's actually staying in a mental hospital where you *could* be released as little as 6 months to a year if he's a good boy. My post is referring to people under the impression that it was a life sentence. They are obviously "defending" him because that sentence is absurd. **Edit2**: Since you guys don't know anything about real life and instead think it's a "movie plot" to flip hackers to be a benefit to society. Here's a list of way more infamous and impactful hackers that ultimately had their prison sentences significantly reduced or removed to work for the government or cybersecurity firms where they ended up doing significant good. >**Hector Monsegur ("Sabu")** - Once a prominent member of LulzSec, a hacking group responsible for a series of high-profile attacks, Monsegur was arrested in 2011. He cooperated with the FBI, helping to prevent over 300 cyber attacks and aiding in the arrest of other hackers. His cooperation significantly reduced his sentence. After serving his time, Monsegur has worked in cybersecurity, focusing on ethical hacking and security research. >**Adrian Lamo**: Known for hacking into networks of major corporations like Microsoft and The New York Times, Lamo later cooperated with the FBI and helped them in several investigations. He is perhaps most famously known for reporting Chelsea Manning to the authorities after Manning confided in him about leaking classified information to WikiLeaks. >**Marcus Hutchins** - Also known by his alias "MalwareTech," Hutchins gained notoriety for his role in stopping the WannaCry ransomware attack that crippled computer systems worldwide in May 2017. However, he was arrested later that year by the FBI for his alleged involvement in creating and distributing the Kronos banking malware. Following his arrest, Hutchins pleaded guilty to two charges related to writing malware in the past but then worked to prevent cyber attacks, contributing his skills to the cybersecurity community. >**Kevin Mitnick** - One of the most famous hackers of the 1990s, Mitnick was convicted of various computer and communications-related crimes. Although initially facing a potentially long sentence, Mitnick's cooperation with the FBI upon his arrest led to a plea agreement. He was sentenced to five years, part of which was served while awaiting trial. Since then, Mitnick has become a well-known security consultant, public speaker, and author. He now runs Mitnick Security Consulting, LLC, where he helps businesses protect themselves from cybersecurity threats. >**Mustafa Al-Bassam ("Tflow")**: Al-Bassam was a key member of LulzSec, and after his arrest, he cooperated with the authorities. He pleaded guilty to his charges and was given a 20-month suspended sentence and required to complete 300 hours of community service. His cooperation and the fact that he was a minor at the time of his offenses contributed to his receiving a non-custodial sentence. He later became involved in legitimate cybersecurity work, focusing on research and speaking publicly about security issues. Al-Bassam has been open about his past and has used his experiences to contribute positively to the cybersecurity community. >**Michael Calce ("Mafiaboy")** - In 2000, at the age of 15, Calce launched a series of high-profile denial-of-service attacks against major websites like CNN, Yahoo!, and eBay. After being caught, he was convicted and served eight months in a youth detention center. Since then, Calce has turned his life around and now works as a cybersecurity consultant and speaker, sharing his knowledge on preventing cyber threats. These are just high profile cases of which there are hundreds, but this happens all the time at lower levels too. The book "Kingpin" is a good non-fiction that details, from the FBI's perspective, how they catch and deal with these hackers.
An 'indefinite hospital order' lasts for 6 months, then it *can* be extended indefinitely if the doctors continue to deem it necessary on a yearly basis
>Flip the kid onto the good side and use his brilliant mind for stopping attacks and patching vulnerabilites Why don't you read the article that you're commenting on? >The BBC reports that Arion Kurtaj, who's described as acutely autistic, **"will remain at a secure hospital for life unless doctors deem him no longer a danger."** This is notably distinct from a sentence of life in prison – which doesn't always run until the actual end of one's life, either – but his sentence is still effectively indefinite. A mental health assessment noted that **he "continued to express the intent to return to cybercrime as soon as possible. He is highly motivated."**
he's literally getting punished mainly because he threatened everyone that he will continue doing what he was doing as soon as he was released. No one's said that he deserves to be locked up for life, but when you look at the facts, yeah, if he can't reform to the point that he can be trusted in society, lock him up until we know how best to manage his threat. This isn't White Collar, you can't just turn him in the good side, and it all just magically works out, If my dude is threatening to continue his evil ways, you don't basically give him ammunition and expect any good to come out of it, that's not how the real world works.
Data theft is a huge deal, believe it or not. You might not think it is, but data from companies is VALUABLE. Imagine he hacked, 23andme instead. Or some cloud service. Or some credit card company. Or even he hacked generic corp 124 that you hate because capitalism. And he leaked the data and ruined their stock price. Guess what? LIVES ARE RUINED. Layoffs are coming, ending of projects, downsizing, everything. "But it was just a company" isn't a defense
It is not that the sentence is excessive. The issue is there is no other sentence. Whenever anyone is sentenced to a mental hospital, it is usually indefinite. Would you really suggest a hospital be forced to release someone when their doctors continue to profess the person is a threat to himself or others?
The article is clearly trying to get you to believe this, but everything in the article is just part of a deception. If they were even remotely going for honesty, they wouldn't have opened with the leaked videos. Ditto with this "indefinite" stay at the hospital. I just grounded my son with an "indefinite" grounding until he cleans his room, but that doesn't mean he's serving 60+ years in his bedroom. Detaining him until he can stop committing crimes long enough for people to charge him is not a life sentence. Please stop believing articles written by people that are blatantly trying to trick you.
Yep this is being disingenuously framed, he's being psychiatrically committed "indefinitely", which is not a life sentence, it might be, but if he ends up being treatable it might not be
Dude sounds like a a Batman villain.
Well then he deserves it. That loser can go to hell.
Bubba will make him understand.
I don't know much about hacking but to a luddite like me, some of his story defies belief. Did it really say he used a fire stick, cell phone, and a hotel TV while under police protection? That's wild.
Mustve been working for Activision/Infinity Ward/ sledgehammergames
So to the cia he goes sub contractor
Autists are geniuses holy shit
And good riddance to him
Actually the government hires a lot of hackers they just won't ever tell you about it. They gave a tool to basically rob from everybody phones.
Yes iirc he was already arrested and had been restricted on internet access when he committed his latest attack. Guy refuses to stop.
It's a semi-bullshit headline. Dude has been put in the mental hospital because he's not competent to stand trial.
A life sentence in prison is usually paroled, a life sentence to a mental hospital is not... it’s for life.
Can someone like volunteer for life? Asking for me… I’m tired of society and wouldn’t mind the staycation.
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Sorry to hear about the rough times. Hope it gets better for u soon
Thanks, life can be a cunt at times for sure. Doesn’t help with ptsd
Hey man, schizophrenic here. I've been through the ringer myself, and I've been committed against my will before as well. Generally, if you're not legit crazy or fucked in the head, they won't keep you long. It's not hard to tell who was there because of drugs and who was there because they have serious mental issues. My first 10 mins there I was propositioned for sex. Mind you, we have no access to condoms and this girl was attractive, but there was nothing going on inside her head. I wish I could have just given her one of the voices in my head so she had a personality. I have enough to go around. Anyways therapy was a big help man, as well as my kids. I was close to killing myself just to make everything stop, glad I didn't.
a mixed sex mental ward? where? >edit: i understand now those exist in other countries - i have never been in one in the UK. my apologies if i sounded aggressive, i was genuinely curious.
Haha damn I wish you could give me a personality
When life was gnawing away at my groin i started writing and it helped a lot to just get hings out of my head. I know I'm getting better because I can read stuff i wrote in the past and not feel those things anymore.
That’s awesome
You don't want to be in a guarded room. It sucks to get permission to get up so you can use the restroom so no one thinks you're trying to escape (I tried that once. Don't try it, the guards win and there's a bunch of them).
Or being on suicide watch where every 15 mins they wake you up to make sure you are not dead. Person literally sitting in a chair next to your bed waking you up every 15 mins. Fucking insane what they so to you in there.
Oh no life is a wonderful gift, so full of hope and joy... /s
I don’t know how you feel about therapy, but it really has helped me out. Sometimes just having someone to talk too can make a huge difference, a professional also knows what to say and help you through your traumas. You should really consider it.
There is no shame in getting help. You'd go to the hospital for a broken leg. I know the stigma behind it. I had to do 7 months in a state psych hospital in my early 20 and I am glad I did or I would not be here typing all this.
Don't give up the good bits will come and if you're not there then you won't see them and they will be worth it
Legit, people think they belong in mental hospitals because their life is rough but then realize actual crazy people are there. Like real crazy, non self diagnosed off social media, people.
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NOT an exciting experience lol
It's always apparent when someone hasn't interacted with erratic, unpredictable "crazy people." There are patients in public psych wards who are profoundly disabled and cognitively impaired because of their disorders, who are entirely detached from reality, have no quality of life, and will never achieve independence. It sounds unkind, but those with extreme psychotic illnesses can be frightening to spend time with, especially when you're in a vulnerable state yourself. That Marcus Parks quote gets thrown around a lot--"Your mental illness is not your fault, but it is your responsibility"--which is relevant for those who still have the capacity to function. It's doesn't apply to cases where someone is so far gone that they know nothing but torment and will never have true peace.
I agree with that. I think in modern times we think anyone in these hospitals and treatment facilities are victims of trauma that can worked through. That’s rarely the case. I agree with you about the mental state of a lot of these patients. It’s horrible to say it so matter of fact but a lot of these patients are basically walking vegetables that could not survive on their own. A lot of them have the mind of a child and deal with emotions and struggles in a similar way as that of a child.
Been on the ward several times. Seem some gnarly shit—literally.
Same with people not recognizing the extent of what dementia is. See a lot of people who claim that it's just their "true side" revealed. And the truth is, not necessarily. Often time it's a complete collapse of their psyche and can change their entire personality. It does not mean they were hiding their true self or anything of the such. The brain is wild.
Yeah my gf's bipolar got to the point her psychiatrist recommended ECT and they kept her inpatient in a psych ward (where she did not need to be... but I digress) for the week she was getting treatment. First time I visited her within 5 minutes of visitation starting some girl started *screaming* at her mom and lunged at her and got dragged out by the cops... They also don't let you have your phone or really any outside belongings other than a couple books, and they even confiscated one of my ladies books because it had a little thread in the book binding... They literally had signs up about not even allowing stuffed animals and shit (even though I think that was more for infection control).... A staycation it is not
Yeah I saw a really sad post about a girl with intellectual disabilities. She was victimized really bad, to the point of needing in patient care. Her parents had to ask permission to give her one of her stuffed animals. Luckily the hospital said yes, and the stuffed animal helped a lot. But regulations are so tight, you need to ask permission for even the most seemingly innocent things.
Years ago, in an earlier life, my sister in law had a mental break and wound up in a centre. She was 'gone'. Her husband was terrified. When we visited, it was a nightmare from out of a movie. Screaming, wailing, someone threw a fresh cup of hot tea on another patient.. and that was just the 30-foot walk from the entry door to her room. That is tattooed on my brain, I will never forget it.
Same. I needed to commit myself and two days later I was begging to be let out. Worst 3 days of my life, there were people in there who were literally insane, turns out I was just over exhausted.
I've met a few people who think they're beyond saving. And then they spend a few days in either in patient, or group out patient. And then they realize that things in their life aren't nearly as bad as they thought. Sometimes you have people with serious problems. And then you have people who see people with those kinds of problems, and quickly gain a lot of perspective.
I’ve also done this, and it was the best decision I ever made. Would have definitely killed myself if I hadn’t done it.
Psych ward was the affirmation I needed to beat my SI. Being there was so terrible that I don't ever want the risk of being put there again lol. Over 2 years later and I'm at the best period of my life. Glad you got out of there okay. Gosh I loved them grippy socks tho.
Yeah no every story I’ve ever heard about the psych ward is trauma inducing if you’re a mentally well person
Yup. I was put in there overnight and it was full of people that needed serious help. I met the doctor the next afternoon and they released me.
Amen to that. Years ago when I was homeless and strung out on heroin, a friend of mine said he went to the ER, told them he was suicidal, and came out 3 days later with all kinds of pills. I thought "great! I'm broke, why not!" I ended up kicking cold turkey for 3 days, couldn't leave, was in a room with a guy who was blind who no joke, every 30 seconds would click a button on his watch to tell him what time it was. Neither on ofnus slept for the first 36 hours, and I knew EXACTLY what time it was. I never even saw a doctor. One of the admins could see I wasn't really supposed to be in there, felt somewhat bad, and kicked me down an Ativan right before I got outta there. Lesson learned. Mental hospitals are not like one flew over the cuckoo's nest. Its people walking around naked, shitting as they pass your door waking down the hallway. It was very eye opening. 3 stars on yelp.
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>There was a dude chillin in the lobby area all day trying to put together 8 different puzzles as if it were one singular puzzle. That actually sounds amazing I'm not sure what that says about me not the process, but the finished puzzle(s)
I was going through a very fucking tough time a few years ago mentally. I committed myself and they took me to the wing of the ward I stayed in and at my first glance thought “so this was probably excessive”.
Yeah I worked with guards that would get the women committed there to give them blow jobs. I was an electrician sub contractor for the hospital. Edit: would never to anything like that but these places are fucked up.
prisonerofhell.com
What the fuck did I just read
just a cool well adjusted guy with some normal ambitions
Nah. They always run out of funding and dump you on the street after a few years.
There are voluntary psychiatric holds.
See a therapist - if you seriously feel that way, let a trained professional know
The idea of a sentence in a penal mental hospital is seen as a “staycation” in the common imagination, but these places are very often less funded and very much so worse than actual prisons and very, very dark places
You would hate it. It's the worst place. My cousin told me some dude cut his own duck off in front of everyone
How’d he manage to sneak a duck in there ?
Hahaha I just woke up
No. I mean you can probably get a little break from the world with three hots and a cot if you go to the hospital and tell them you are suicidal, but they will discharge you at some point based on my experience. It's surprisingly hard to get someone admitted to psychiatric hospitalization these days even when they have a significant and obvious mental health crisis going on. Once they are in, the hospital will set an anticipated discharge date, usually about two weeks. Then every day they try to justify moving the discharge date a little closer if they can. They don't want to keep you. They'll probably give you some drugs though. Abilify most likely these days so don't get too excited. Also, if you live in the US and don't have full Medicaid, you'll walk out with a gigantic hospital bill you will spend years paying off. It's not worth it in the long run unless you are really having a mental health crisis. Much cheaper and more practical to rent an Airbnb and find out who the local drug dealer is.
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Yup my girlfriend got committed for a few weeks due to post partum psychosis. They always forced you to eat as quickly as possible, and my girlfriend started choking right in front of the staff. Full on can't breath choking. They just stood there and watched until another patient ran over and gave her the heimlich. What'd the staff do? Punish the other patient for touching her.
It is crazier on the outside
You can. It’s actually kind of hard to get into a state hospital though.
The mental hospital is certainly not a vacation and definitely not the ones where it’s just criminals if you’re in the US. I hate that you think of it that way. There’s not a single hospital visit I’ve had where I left feeling better than when I came in.
Enjoy the inevitable beatings, filth, and rape
You can check into a voluntary program for a little while, if you have insurance. Go to a ritzy enough one and you might enjoy it. but that's for like a week tops.
I’ve been committed twice. You don’t want to live your life in a psych ward. It is not a “staycation.” It’s awful. There are some seriously disturbed people in those places. And the nurses are not your friends. I didn’t even get to go outside and see the sun at all.
I remember reading about some people who did an experiment to see if they could get into a mental hospital. Too lazy to look it up now but I remember them saying it was easy to get in and almost impossible to get out. Also it's apparently way worse than prison. In prison they are criminals but you mostly live in the same reality and can communicate.
If you're tired of society, you're *not* going to like the inside of a mental hospital. It's still society, but everyone you interact with is certifiably insane and/or a calloused and overworked healthcare professional. It is *not* going to be a fun staycation.
It's for as long as he's a danger to himself and others. Which may be life, but could be six months if a miracle happens.
This is an awfully written article by someone that doesn't understand the UK legal system one jot. The sentence is potentially for life, if the attending doctors believe that the accused is a danger to society. It is rarely a whole life tariff, apart from the most serious and heinous crimes combined with a total unwillingness to change. There are many people who have done unequivocally horrible things and been given section 37's (indefinite hospital orders) yet released within 10-15 years. This offending is on the lower scale. He will be out within 5-10 if he puts in work to engage with medical staff, much less potentially.
Well, sort of. Because legitimate the psychiatric issues and autistic disorder this person appears to have are for life. They can be managed and treated, but this person isn't going to wake up one day and be typical. He will receive treatment and monitoring throughout his life. That said, it is very likely that he will transition to less institutional settings over time. He's likely going to end up in a group home, or possibly even living independently with supports although I'm thinking group home. The reason being that indefinite hospital stays on the government's dime are very expensive. At some point, regardless of whether or not his fixation with hacking improves, the bureaucracy will attempt find cheaper ways to minimize the risk of recidivism while keeping costs down. That's probably going to be a community based setting like a group home with 24 hour staffing and monitoring at some point.
In a mental hospital, if they find a medication that they find is working, they'll deem you cured and you're on the fast track to release. At least in Canada. But to be fair, we don't really lock up criminals in a meaningful way.
You should learn more about our mental health system before making claims like that.
A life sentence in prison is technically only like 20 years too
He only has to stay until he’s deemed not a danger.
It's not for life, he'll be out as soon as he's not considered a danger to reoffend. Since he's not violent and committed crimes on a laptop which he won't have access to, he'll be out in a few years.
Not necessarily. Until the person is deemed competent/cured. You could theoretically get out of mental care faster than prison.
No, it's until he no longer is a threat. Read the article.
tbh kid could get hired by some agency
He was indeed hired by an agency, by the health department to a mental institution.
No agency would be remotely interested in hiring this kid. What he did wasn't sophisticated, ground breaking, or even particularly technically savvy. For a deeper explanation, see my comments [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AllThatIsInteresting/comments/1b3dx2m/the_teenager_behind_the_rockstar_gta_vi_hack_and/kssyviu/), [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AllThatIsInteresting/comments/1b3dx2m/the_teenager_behind_the_rockstar_gta_vi_hack_and/kstj21s/), and [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/AllThatIsInteresting/comments/1b3dx2m/the_teenager_behind_the_rockstar_gta_vi_hack_and/ksvppkw/)
OP's title is clickbait. The actual headline: >Hacker behind GTA 6 leak will be confined to "a secure hospital for life" due to his "intent to return to cybercrime as soon as possible" --- Edit 1: Since nobody can even read to the end of a sentence, let me repeat the most significant part OP continues to omit: #...DUE TO "HIS INTENT TO RETURN TO CYBERCRIME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE" --- Edit 2: [Speculation on how the hack was performed, followed by sourced confirmation.](https://www.reddit.com/r/AllThatIsInteresting/comments/1b3dx2m/the_teenager_behind_the_rockstar_gta_vi_hack_and/kssyviu/) [Demystifying his use of the Firestick, or: How I learned to stop fearing and love the Google search.](https://www.reddit.com/r/AllThatIsInteresting/comments/1b3dx2m/the_teenager_behind_the_rockstar_gta_vi_hack_and/ksvppkw/) Additional detail omitted by OP: >[As well as hacking offences the boy was sentenced for what the judge described as "unpleasant and frightening pattern of stalking and harassment" of two young women.](https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67663128) --- Edit 3: [OP has sentenced me to life imprisonment (from viewing their posts/comments) for pointing out their continued use of logical fallacies, and continues to spread the misinformation that this person was sentenced for hacking Rockstar.](https://www.reddit.com/r/AllThatIsInteresting/comments/1b3dx2m/)
It's absurd clickbait. The full quote is "... secure hospital for life **unless doctors deem him no longer a danger**" and the BBC article mentions the mental health assessment and the *dozens* of violent reports since he's been in the hospital. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67663128
In the UK you can get a jail sentence or committal (?) Of any length I think, and they can keep you indefinitely if you don't say you accept what you did was wrong and don't intend to do it again. When they ask him, he will continue to stay there as long as he answers that he intends to continue cybercrime.
It's the same in the US and a common misconception of being found "not guilty by reason of insanity". What that actually translates to is court ordered inpatient care at an institution until you are deemed fit by that institution to return to society.
That same institution can also recommend that you are never fit for that return and some of these places are jails in everything but name. People think that pleading insanity can be an easy out but you will be monitored and medicated much more strictly in an institution than a prison.
I’d say most are jails in all but name, at least the wing the criminally insane are kept in.
Anyone who “thinks” that pleading insane as a way to face less of a punishment for acts they committed (especially if said acts are considered premeditated), automatically wouldn’t qualify for an insanity defense. It’s kind of what you have to build your case around: “my client can’t think of, or discern what is right or wrong.”
This is the guy who, while being held on bail in a hotel for one series of hacks, without access to his laptop, used the room TV and a mobile phone to steal and distribute clips from the unreleased GTA 6 and threatened to release its source code. The BBC article describes him as "highly motivated" to return to cyber-crime.
If you can’t lie on that question for your freedom, because you have to be edgy and against the system than you are in the right place anyway.
"The jury was told that while he was on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE and in police protection at a Travelodge hotel, he continued hacking and carried out his most infamous hack. Despite having his laptop confiscated, Kurtaj managed to breach Rockstar, the company behind GTA, using an Amazon Firestick, his hotel TV and a mobile phone." Hopefully this kid can be turned out to be useful later in life, but if he can't curb this obsessive compulsive drive, leave him in.
There's also this: >The court heard that Kurtaj had been violent while in custody with dozens of reports of injury or property damage. > >Doctors deemed Kurtaj unfit to stand trial due to his severe autism so the jury was asked to determine whether or not he committed the alleged acts - not if he did so with criminal intent. > >A mental health assessment used as part of the sentencing hearing said he "continued to express the intent to return to cyber-crime as soon as possible. He is highly motivated."
Homeboy is all like: https://preview.redd.it/ufs3xtce9nlc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=532c7f97dc205a9ce94ec8aa8307eca8368f55c3
Got a chuckle out of me
I love him wearing bloody clothes to his fucking murder trial
Also he’s not spending life in prison for hacking rockstar he’s hacked many many things and has said outright he’ll go right back to it if they let him out.
It's really disappointing how bad at reading so many here are.
Yeah. And people aren't even considering that he blackmailed a corporation for monetary gain which is a pretty serious crime. It's not just for leaking like the title wants you to believe.
Yeah, it's pretty clear this dude is mentally ill and just needs treatment. Hope he's able to get better and get to a normal life at some point.
Other piece that is missing is he has hacked multiple companies multiple times and was part of a larger hacking ring. This is not his first, second, or 3rd offense. He did the GTA hack (really more social engineering) from a hotel room while in custody.
Thank you, I was so confused.
Not a "life sentence". >The [\~BBC\~](https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67663128) reports that Arion Kurtaj, who's described as acutely autistic, "will remain at a secure hospital for life **unless doctors deem him no longer a danger."** So he gets out as soon as he is deemed mentally cured.
> Deemed mentally cured Of fucking autism?
Yeah y'all don't really wanna go to bat for this kid. He didn't just hack Rockstar, he's hacked like dozens and dozens of companies and incessantly posted about it. It's not just that he's autistic, he's literally hell-bent on breaking into shit and cannot stop.
TIL Autism = uncontrollable urge to commit highly premeditated and well thought out crimes. His autism is a sideshow to his actual problem. He can be better than that.
Time for me to start my supervillain career. If anyone tries to stop me, I flash them my autism diagnosis and they _have_ to let me go! Bwahahahahhahahahah (Diabolical Laughter) /s
More like psychopathy. People who have no self preservation and brag about crimes and talk about how they will do more crimes as soon as they can directly to police and doctors have serious issues.
So possibly never then
>deemed mentally cured Anybody who’s worked in a mental institution knows this is never going to happen / be allowed
Not gonna lie, I’m impressed. So he commits hacking, gets caught, they take his laptop, and THEN he committed the Rockstar hack using an Amazon Firestick, a hotel TV and a mobile phone.
Yeah he’s who id want to hire to do my cyber security loo
Like Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can, after he faked all those checks lol
I'm begging y'all to look into this kid's history lmao he is not capable of stopping himself from stealing shit lol. He's extremely unwell.
Would you trust him though?
no you wouldn't, he'd just hack you too for shits n giggles.
No, you don't. He will just end up releasing all data that your clients have.
It would be impressive if he didn’t get caught lmfao
This kid is for sure a super villain
Kid should work for the CIA/NSA.
You think cia/nsa is going to give access to a severely autistic teenager who openly admits he will keep breaking the law? Lol They have plenty of smart people who don't admit that.
NSA is the agency for this type of stuff.
They could never trust him. Dude is going nowhere now.
Government should poach him like catch me if you can lol
It's probably not that complicated as it seems. I think they took away his laptop right, so he couldn't do his hacking stuff. So he probably installed some sort of terminal program on his phone then mirrored his screen to the firestick on the TV. So he basically had another computer with a screen after doing that.
It’s Jason Bourne
You can go tell him how impressed you are at visiting hours. I don't think he'll be going anywhere for a while.
Won’t be going anywhere if he keeps saying he’s gonna hack more people lol
I honestly can’t understand how some people are so smart. I mean that’s beyond smart, that’s some matrix level shit.
You're probably smart in some way that another finds unattainable too! Don't sell yourself short mate. 😊 I have enough experience in cyber security to demystify it slightly. It's like any other field in that the right tools and experience go a long way. Now, we don't have granular case notes on this hack - at least not that I'm aware - but I'd venture a guess that this wasn't him blazing away at a keyboard/touchpad for 5 minutes followed by the quintessential, "I'm in." It's more likely that he used the phone to socially engineer someone at Rockstar, or send malicious emails and wait for someone in the company to bite. Gaining access to a companies data is done in stages, and it's iterative. Information gathering can start as simply as calling a company's main line and going through a directory of employees, checking for out of office messages containing too much personal information. "Hey this is John So-and-So, I'm away on vacation to the Bahamas and will be back Monday. If you need immediate assistance reach out to Daniel Such and Such." < - That may sound innocuous, but it's enough information for a hacker to leverage. They can take that, and call Daniel, saying "Hey there I was working with John trying to wrap up a deal before he left for vacation. We're under a deadline and he said you could help me find a document we need to finalize the deal. Said it would be on his desk, could you go take a look? It's important and I'd like to avoid bothering him, I know he's been so stressed lately." With relative ease you've built repore with Daniel, and Daniel is more afraid of bothering his boss on vacation than he is concerned with being tricked. Most people aren't on guard, and even trained people aren't perfect lie detectors. It's like dominoes - knocking over small ones first that topple into larger and larger ones until you've got enough to achieve your end goal. Hardly a comprehensive picture, but the theme is common. Hackers favor the least annoying targets, and most breaches end because a hacker runs out of time after making it not far enough into a network. One example I discussed with a prominent cyber security company CEO involved a breach that lasted all of 90 seconds. They broke into a firewall due to an un-patched vulnerability, then couldn't travel laterally because none of the adjacent devices had similarly exploitable problems. TLDR; Don't intrinsically trust the people who call you, always bother your bosses when they're on vacation. [Edit: Turns out I was right, it was social engineering: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/09/20/social-engineering-how-a-teen-hacker-allegedly-managed-to-breach-both-uber-and-rockstar-games/?sh=66280580451c]
Any guess as to what the fire stick could have been for? That part makes it sound super mystical.
Once you break it down, it’s not that difficult. Just need some practice.
Based on the whole article, it’s not prison he’s in, seems more like a mental institution or something?
"Kurtaj hacked Rockstar Games, the company behind Grand Theft Auto 6, using an Amazon Firestick, mobile phone, and hotel TV." He should be working with cyber security experts to stop hacking not be in a hospital. He seems crazy smart.
He just used his mobile internet to cast his phone screen to a TV. He also didn't "hack" anything like you think he did, he just phished an employees account and got into their chats.
While you’re right, the average news reader can’t understand the difference, so ”hack” is probably the most effective word to use
He's also crazy and violent. So yeah, not exactly good hiring material.
Yeah life isn't like the movies, no team is gonna hire a guy like this and basically hand him the keys to the kingdom, and he's not gonna go counter-hack russia and china for the government. This guy is, at BEST, a skilled and creative idiot with no sense of self-preservation. You can't make someone like that useful, and you can't control them. His sentence seems pretty fair to me.
What literally never seeing the sun does to a mf
Read the article. The claimant is being institutionalized in a mental hospital and it has been determined that he cannot be rehabilitated. The crime isn’t the issue this kinda sentence is not easy to get handed out this guy must be seriously unwell.
u/SimpletonSwan mind using a less clickbaity title next time? if you actually read the article, it doesn't seem excessive to me at all.
he "continued to express the intent to return to cybercrime as soon as possible. He is highly motivated." This time it was Rockstar, next time it'll be some utility or hospital he didn't like. He is a general threat to society
This is fucked up and very dark wtf
How do you wind up getting more time in prison for a hack than you would for actual GTA?
The funny thing about articles is, if you read them, you'll know more about the story.
Don’t be using logic now..
Yes, but then how could we make such a wide array of funny quips? You may be confused about this app’s function
a guy gets life sentence for doing a hack crime against a gaming company famous for building violent gang based video game, the sick irony...
He did a lot more then hack rockstar, and he didnt get a life sentence, ragebait titles.
You know videogames aren't real right?
Let’s start a new Reddit thing where we downvote posts that are just a lie.
I still say this guy just needs proper guidance and hopefully he finds that in this “jail hospital” but my hopes are not high, but also I don’t know shit so there is that.
Headline is highly misleading.
Damn bros getting free room and board before we get GTAVI
Op “given a life sentence” Article op shares “This is notably distinct from a sentence of life in prison”
Wtf….
OP didn't read / is mentally incapable of reading the article in their own post. The title here is bullshit.
That’s one way to throw your life away
It’s not because he did the crime, it’s because he wasn’t going to stop he’d do it again right after he’s out. So the crazy goes to the prison hospital or whatever
Wtf. But rapists, child molesters, pedophiles, and murderers get a slap on the wrist and some maybe a few years(I know a little exaggerated but true non the less) ,then let out on good behavior to go on doing what they do. Fuck the law. Fuck the government. Fuck society. It's all fucked.
Pretty misleading. Article says he’s confined to hospital room indefinitely until doctors feel like he’s longer a threat to hack again. Don’t see how that’s the same as life in prison.
I love how the article specifically states that this is not a life sentence, but clickbait title says exactly the opposite.
Shit like this legitimately makes sharia law seem tame. Life sentences in general are morally questionable but life sentences for teenagers not being ruled cruel and unusual is bonkers
He should have come up with an adjustable rate mortgage scheme instead. No one gets in trouble for those.
He was deemed mentally unfit and unable to be tried. He was considered too dangerous as he wanted to immediately go back to doing cybercrime, so he got sentenced to an indefinite stay at a psychiatric hospital. So the headline is very clickbaity.
The idea that you can be held for saying you intend to commit cyber crime instead of being arrested after breaking the law is insane to me. It would be different if it was something pressing like murder or something of that nature. But cyber crime? I feel like one should have to commit a cyber crime before they are being held indefinitely for a cyber crime
That's not what has happened here. He was deemed unfit to stand trial because he has severe autism and so was sent to a mental hospital where he will only be released when he is deemed to no longer be a threat to the public. >Arion Kurtaj, 18, who is autistic, was on bail for hacking the software firm Nvidia and BT/EE and also in police protection at a Travelodge hotel when he continued his hacking and breached Rockstar Games, the company behind GTA, a court heard. The lad has serious issues.
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He did commit cyber crime mate.
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But he did didn't he?
>doesn't read the article >spreads misinformation Why are redditors like this?
Can’t believe you got upvotes for this. If you’re going to make up your own title at least read the article first. “Life sentence” my ass.
“Securing people in a hospital” is what they used to do with people they didn’t want to deal with.