What exactly happened?
In the early hours of September 18, a poster on GTAForums known as teapotuberhacker posted about 90 videos totalling 50 minutes of footage from an in-development version of Rockstar Games’ upcoming video game Grand Theft Auto 6. The video has since gone viral on social media and the internet. Shortly after the initial announcement, the hacker posted on the forum that they wanted to “negotiate a deal” with Rockstar in exchange for the return of unreleased data, which included the source code for Grand Theft Auto 5 and the in-development version of Grand Theft Auto 6.
What Happened To The GTA 6 Leaker?
Teapotuberhacker also claims responsibility for a recent Uber data breach, and the methods appear similar. The messaging app Slack was a significant point of entry in both cases, and the information shared between staff members was likely used to gain additional access to sensitive data. However, the Rockstar hack appears less serious than the Uber attack, in which the attacker gained administrative access to the entire network, even controlling the initial response to the hack via total control of the Slack account.
In Rockstar’s case, the hacker appears to be looking to undermine the company. In addition to the videos that have already been posted to YouTube as proof of the attack, he claims to have source code for GTA 5, and GTA 6 development builds and appears to be blackmailing the developer in exchange for it.
Is GTA 6 Leaker Arrested?
The GTA 6 leak was one of the most significant in recent years in the gaming industry. The arrested 17-year-old is a member of the hacking group “Lapsus$.”
Lapsus$ has been making headlines recently for hacking into some of the most secure data vaults. The hacking group has targeted a number of technology behemoths, including Samsung, Microsoft, and NVIDIA. Previously, the city police had arrested seven teenagers associated with these hacking incidents, including the “teapotuberhacker.”
After other hackers leaked his address and name online, the 17-year-old was arrested. The hacker used several aliases while operating, including “Breachbase” and “White.” People following the case claim that the hacker made over $14 million from cybercrime before the GTA 6 leaks.
Reference: The Gaurdian
How has the gaming industry responded?
With a mix of surprise and sympathy. “To my fellow devs out there affected by the latest leak, know that while it feels overwhelming right now, it’ll pass,” Neil Druckmann, co-president of Uncharted developer Naughty Dog, tweeted. We’ll be playing your game and admiring your work one day, and the leaks will be relegated to a footnote on a Wikipedia page. Continue to push. Continue to create art.” Similarly, indie developer Rami Ismail, Xbox corporate vice president Sarah Bond, and Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski have all expressed their support.
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