Grand Theft Auto 5 Source Code Leak
On Christmas Eve, news broke about a potential leakage of the starting code of the popular video game, Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5). This incident occurred a year after the Lapsus $ hacker group attacked Rockstar Games and stole corporate data.
Links to download the stolen source code began circulating through various channels such as Discord, the Darknet site known as “B,” and a Telegram channel previously utilized by the hackers responsible for the Rockstar data breach. In one of the Telegram channels dedicated to Grand Theft Auto leaks, the owner, identified as ‘Phil,’ published the links to the stolen source code and even provided a screenshot of one of the folders.
Phil also expressed admiration for the hacker Arion Kurtu, also known as Teapotuberhacker, who previously leaked information about Grand Theft Auto 6. Kurtu was recently sentenced to an indefinite stay in a UK hospital due to his involvement in hacking attempts on Rockstar and Uber.
In 2022, Rockstar Games fell victim to the Lapsus $ hacking group. The hackers managed to infiltrate the company’s Slack server and Vicky Confluence. During that attack, they claimed to have stolen source codes and assets related to both GTA 5 and GTA 6, including a test assembly of GTA 6. Some of the stolen content was published on forums and the aforementioned Telegram channel. Additionally, snippets of GTA 5 source code were shared as proof of the data theft.
A screenshot displaying a folder containing GTA 5 source code was also revealed.
The cybersecurity researchers at VX-Underground reported that they engaged in conversation with one of the attackers on Discord. The attacker claimed that the leaks had occurred within the expected timeframe. As evidence, the hacker showed VX-Underground screenshots of the leaked material.
While cybersecurity publication BleepingComputer managed to review the leak, which appears to be the genuine source code of GTA 5, they were unable to verify its authenticity. BleepingComputer reached out to Rockstar Games for comment on the leak but received no response, likely due to the holiday season.