UK police arrest teenage hacker reportedly tied to recent GTA VI hack

Just last week we saw one of the biggest leaks to occur in the games industry. A huge amount of videos showing pre-alpha footage of Grand Theft Auto VI hit the internet. The supposed hacker behind it all also suggested that they had access to the source code for both GTA V and GTA VI. Obviously, this wasn’t good Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive. But it looks like the United Kingdom authorities may have found the culprit.

As this is an ongoing case, most of the details are unclear for now, and it’s best to avoid jumping to conclusions until we get all the facts. We’re also due to get some more information on this later in the day. Stay tuned for that.

The GTA VI hacker may have been found

This update started making the rounds earlier today via journalist Matthew Keys. Keys shared reports from both BBC News and the City of London Police that confirmed an arrest of a 17-year-old took place in Oxfordshire. He also mentioned that the arrest “over [the] hack of Rockstar and possibly Uber was done in concert with an investigation conducted by the FBI.” Additionally, it looks like this individual may be connected to a group called Lapsus$. That name may be familiar to those who kept up to date with Nvidia’s leak in March. Considering the GTA VI hacker was also allegedly involved in a hack against Uber, this could be another reason for the arrest.

UPDATE: The 17-year-old hacking suspect was arrested in Oxfordshire and is believed to be connected to a group identifying itself as “Lapsus$,” a group that organizes primarily via Telegram channels.

— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) September 23, 2022

To reiterate, take most of this information with a grain of salt. As the day goes on, more information should come out. The London Police are expected to make a statement later on, and we may hear more from official channels soon. Another interesting point here is that Rockstar recently posted a new job role on Hitmarker. This is specifically to protect its games “against cheaters, hackers, exploiters, and any and all troublemakers.”

It’s no surprise that Rockstar Games wants to avoid anything of this scale happening again in the future. Hopefully, the developer is able to continue work on GTA VI without the worry of another hacker.