Hackers hit HBO, claim to release ‘Game of Thrones’ info
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — “Game of Thrones” network HBO has been hit with a cyberattack, making it the latest entertainment company to become compromised by hackers.
HBO confirmed in a statement Monday that it experienced a cyber incident that compromised proprietary information. The company said it immediately began to investigate the incident and is working with law enforcement and independent cybersecurity experts.
“As most of you have probably heard by now, there has been a cyber incident directed at the company which has resulted in some stolen proprietary information, including some of our programming,” said HBO chief executive Richard Plepler in a memo to staff. “Any intrusion of this nature is obviously disruptive, unsettling, and disturbing for all of us.”
Hackers earlier sent emails to media outlets claiming they had put HBO information online, including a script for an upcoming “Gameof Thrones” episode.
One episode each of “Ballers” and “Room 104” had been posted online, but no episodes of “Game of Thrones” had yet appeared, according to Entertainment Weekly. HBO has gone to extraordinary pains to protect the coming plot twists from the popular show from leaking to the public.
A statement from HBO did not detail when the incident happened, and the company declined to comment on the material stolen. There was no immediate indication of whether the breach included customer data or personal informationabout employees.
HBO, which is owned by media giant Time Warner Inc., is the latest to endure threats from cyber criminals. In May, hackers claimed to have stolen Walt Disney Co.’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” and demanded ransom, though that turned outto be fake.
In another major recent incident, Netflix was attacked by a hacker known as Dark Overlord, which offeredits signature “business proposal.” Episodes from the new season of “Orange Is the New Black” were uploaded after the company refusedto pay the ransom.
The biggest example of a Hollywood cyber breach was the 2014 attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was blamed on North Korea. That attack came as Sony was about to release the comedy “The Interview,” about an attempt to assassinate North Korean leaderKim Jong Un.
Hollywood has long been a victim of illegal hacking and piracy. Digital copies of major blockbusters are frequently uploaded via BitTorrent after release in cinemas, and again after release for home video.
“Game of Thrones” is already one of the most popular targets of piracy. According to website TorrentFreak, the Season 7 premiere of “Game of Thrones” was pirated 90 million times, citing data from piracy monitoring firm MUSO.