Hackers Threaten To Release New Episodes Of ‘Game of Thrones’

HBO confirmed on Monday that the network had been the target of a cyberattack, as an anonymous hacker boasted about leaking full episodes of upcoming shows along with written material from next week’s episode of “Game of Thrones.”

In an email to journalists, the hacker or hackers claimed to have obtained 1.5 terabytes of data from HBO. Unaired episodes of “Ballers” and “Room 104” may have been published online, and the hacker vowed more would be “coming soon,”
HBO did not reveal what data had been stolen or posted online, and there was no immediate indication of whether the breach included customer data or personal information about employees.

In a statement, the network said: “HBO recently experienced a cyber incident, which resulted in the compromise of proprietary information. We immediately began investigating the incident and are working with law enforcement and outside cybersecurity firms.”

In an email to employees, Richard Plepler, HBO’s chief executive, said the stolen information included “some of our programming.”

“Any intrusion of this nature is obviously disruptive, unsettling and disturbing for all of us,” he wrote in the email.

He added: “The problem before us is unfortunately all too familiar in the world we now find ourselves a part of.”
If hackers succeed in spoiling plot details, it would not be the first time for “Game of Thrones.” In 2015, the first four episodes of the fifth season were leaked online before they aired.

In April, a hacker leaked the upcoming season of “Orange is the New Black” more than a month before it was scheduled to be released, after Netflix refused ransom requests.

source:http://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/business/media/hbo-hack-game-of-thrones.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fbusiness-media&action=click&contentCollection=media&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=5&pgtype=sectionfront