Alleged Grand Theft Auto 6 hacker pleads not guilty

The Grand Theft Auto 6 leak drama took another step forward over the weekend, as Eurogamer reports that the youth accused in the matter has pleaded not guilty to a charge of computer misuse.

The 17-year-old hacker was arrested in Oxfordshire on September 22, less than one week after the devastating leak of GTA 6 material, which included 90 gameplay videos taken from a test build of the game. Interestingly, while the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge of computer misuse, he pleaded guilty to a separate charge of breaching his bail conditions.

Details on the breach of conditions weren't provided but it's possibly related to previous cyberattacks for which he's already facing charges. According to tech reporter Matthew Keys, the suspect was arrested and charged earlier this year in relation to attacks against companies including Microsoft and Nvidia. 

Keys added that the suspect is associated with the Lapsus$ hacking group; seven people in the UK associated with the group, aged 16-21, were arrested by City of London Police earlier this year in connection with those hacks. In fact, it was similarities between those attacks and the hacks of Rockstar and Uber, which ultimately attracted the attention of the FBI, that led police to the suspect in the first place.

One of the alleged leaders of the group that carried out the Microsoft and Nvidia attacks, who was 16 at the time, had reportedly amassed a Bitcoin fortune worth roughly $13 million despite his parents' efforts to "try to stop him from going on computers," which were obviously not successful. For the suspect in this case, who has not been confirmed as the same person, that won't be an issue: After entering this plea, he was remanded to a youth detention center.