Teen Genius to Hospital Prison: Lapsus$ Hacker’s Cyber Crimes Cost Him Freedom

A member of the notorious international hacking collective Lapsus$ was apprehended in the United Kingdom at the tender age of 18. This youthful hacker’s arrest came amidst a series of Lapsus$‘s aggressive cyber assaults on prominent corporations, including Rockstar Games, Uber, and NVIDIA, causing considerable damages.

Despite Lapsus$‘s reliance on the encrypted communication app Telegram for internal discourse, the London police had successfully infiltrated and monitored the group. This was largely because Telegram’s end-to-end encryption is limited to private person-to-person conversations and requires users to activate it manually, suggesting that Lapsus$ members may not have consistently employed stringent encryption, thereby enabling successful law enforcement penetration.

The apprehended hacker, Arion Kurtaj, has been brought before the court. His defense attorney highlighted his severe autism and a history of violent behavior during his detention. Medical professionals concurred, asserting that Kurtaj’s profound autism rendered him unfit for trial. Psychological assessments revealed not only a lack of remorse but an unabated enthusiasm for hacking activities, with aspirations to rejoin the cybercriminal network for further attacks.

The court ultimately decreed that Arion Kurtaj be indefinitely institutionalized due to his high-risk computer skills and persistent intent to commit cybercrimes. This ruling stipulates his confinement in a medical facility until deemed no longer a threat to public safety, potentially resulting in lifelong hospitalization for treatment.