Biggest nations around the globe are trying to capture the Lapsus$ group and England has finally managed to convict two of its key members. The leading teenager and his partner were caught leaking GTA 6. They received a lifetime hospital arrest and rehabilitation sentence, respectively. Read ahead to find out more about the group and its key members.
Lapsus$ and their history of cyberattacks
The notorious hacking group first made headlines when it compromised the Brazilian Ministry of Health’s ransomware in December 2021. Since then they have attacked high-profile technology companies including Nvidia, Samsung, Microsoft, and Vodafone.
Experts say the LAPSUS$ data extortion group that hit Okta and Microsoft this week is run by a 17-year-old from the UK who recently bought the Doxbin doxing website, and then leaked its database. Naturally, Doxbin responded by doxing the LAPSUS$ leader. https://t.co/bJ2V4Xy74S
— briankrebs (@briankrebs) March 23, 2022
They have also stolen data from Ubisoft’s services and Okta contractors, compromising the data of thousands of companies that use the service. Officials suspect them of attacking EA Games last year. However, nothing much was known about the group until then.
Following the Okta attacks, researchers pinned an England-based teenager as the mastermind behind the group and found traces of another member in Brazil. The researchers stated that the members are highly skilled and some of their work almost appeared automated.
GTA 6 Hacker convicted
The more the group attempted to compromise data of high-profile companies the more they became vulnerable to officials. On March 24, the London police arrested seven teenagers in connection with the group.
Lapsus$: GTA 6 hacker sentenced to life in hospital prison https://t.co/8GFhdrylC7
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) December 21, 2023
Among them was 18-year-old Arion Kurtaj, who carried out cyberattacks on Rockstar Games, Uber, and Nvidia. He was also convicted of twelve other offenses including blackmail, fraud, and violations of the UK’s Computer Misuse Act, as per BBC.
Kurtaj used SIM-swapping techniques and social engineering in his attacks. However, he wasn’t limited to his devices. After his laptop was confiscated he continued to attack using Amazon Firestick, his hotel TV, and a mobile phone.
He leaked around 90 videos of gameplay footage from Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) and received a lifetime hospital arrest sentence due to his acute autism which makes him unfit to stand a criminal trial.
Where are the Lapsus$ members now?
Another 17-year-old member was found guilty in the trial for hacking tech giant Nvidia and phone company BT/EE. He compromised their data and demanded a four-million-dollar ransom along with other Lapsus$ members.
I'm at Guildford Crown Court for the long-delayed sentencing of two teen hackers from the Lapsus$ gang. Arion Kurtaj hacked Rockstar Games in 2022 leaking 90 clips of unfinished GTA6 gameplay. He and his accomplices also hacked Nvidia, EE, and Revolut in their hacking spree.
— Joe Tidy (@joetidy) December 21, 2023
He has also confessed to stealing from individual cryptocurrency wallets and was found guilty of stalking and harassing two young women. As a juvenile, he is sentenced to 18 months of Youth Rehabilitation Order, including intense supervision and a ban on using VPNs online.
Kurtaj and the 17-year-old boy are the first convicted members of Lapsus$ but officials believe that more members can pose a threat to the private data of high-profile companies and individuals.
They are suspected of being residents of England and allegedly Brazil. They are also suspected of regularly celebrating their cybercrimes on Telegram channels in English and Portuguese. Following these attacks, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has called for improvised SIM-swapping protection and a passwordless future.
