The GTA 6 Leaker May Have Just Been Caught
The person responsible for the recent leaks of Rockstar's upcoming game GTA 6 may have been caught, and could be in some serious trouble. A 17-year-old was taken into custody in Great Britain on September 23. The leaks first surfaced last week and consisted of several videos and screenshots that appeared to show an early build of the game. Despite being an early build, the leaks appeared to reveal who the upcoming title's protagonists would be — they also provided a number of clues about the game's setting.
While the leaks may not reflect the content of the final game, they do give us a good picture of what to expect. The leak provides a first glimpse of game's playable characters — who will be a white male and, in what is a first for the series, a Latina female. Although no screenshots or footage was released, those details had been previously revealed by Bloomberg. If nothing changes, the game will see players revisit Vice City, the GTA Universe's answer to Miami, for the first time since 2006.
Shortly after the videos hit the internet, Rockstar took to Twitter to confirm both the hack and the subsequent leak. The company said it was "extremely disappointed" that the details of its upcoming title had been released in this manner, and followed up by saying the company would "properly introduce" people to the game "when it is ready."
17-year-old linked with hack
Police in Great Britain have confirmed that a 17-year-old has been arrested "on suspicion of hacking." The investigation is being assisted by the UK National Crime Agency's cyber crimes unit, and according to former Reuters and ABC journalist Matthew Keys, a source says the FBI is also involved. Keys claims the teenager has been linked to the recent Rockstar hack and leak, as well as the recent cyber attack on Uber. The journalist also claims the man in custody is connected to the hacking group Lapsus$, which he says primarily communicates through the messaging app Telegram.
Although the police are saying the hacker is 17, it is worth noting that the "Uber Hacker" had previously contacted and revealed to the New York Times and Washington Post that he was "18" and performed the hacks "for fun." This could be down to misinformation provided by the hacker, a mistake on the police's part, or the 17-year-old that the City of London police have in custody may not be the man who hacked Uber. Police are expected to release more information on the arrest later today.