"Game of Thrones" material leaked online, hackers say
Written material from an upcoming "Game of Thrones" episode and upcoming episodes of HBO shows "Ballers" and "Room 104" have been leaked online, hackers say. HBO has confirmed that a breach took place but did not name specific shows or material that was compromised.
On Sunday, many reporters received an anonymous email announcing the hack. According to Entertainment Weekly, the email read: "Hi to all mankind. The greatest leak of cyber space era is happening. What's its name? Oh I forget to tell. Its HBO and Game of Thrones……!!!!!! You are lucky to be the first pioneers to witness and download the leak. Enjoy it & spread the words. Whoever spreads well, we will have an interview with him. HBO is falling."
Hackers said they had obtained 1.5 terabytes of data from the cable network, including written material allegedly related to next week's fourth episode of "Game of Thrones." Episodes of the shows "Ballers" and "Room 104" have already appeared online, according to reports.
A breach of "Game of Thrones," the network's biggest hit, would represent a major coup for hackers. Since the show began in 2011, HBO has fought hard to prevent leaks. It stopped sending review DVDs to journalists in advance after episodes from Season 5 were leaked online. A "Game of Thrones" trailer was leaked hours before its scheduled release at Comic-Con.
In a statement, an HBO spokesman confirmed that the network had experienced a "cyber incident."
"HBO recently experienced a cyber incident, which resulted in the compromise of proprietary information," the company said. "We immediately began investigating the incident and are working with law enforcement and outside cybersecurity firms. Data protection is a top priority at HBO, and we take seriously our responsibility to protect the data we hold."
In an email send to HBO employees Monday morning, chairman and CEO Richard Plepler called the action "disturbing for all of us."
"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," read the email.
"Any intrusion of this nature is obviously disruptive, unsettling, and disturbing for all of us. I can assure you that senior leadership and our extraordinary technology team, along with outside experts, are working round the clock to protect our collective interests. The efforts across multiple departments have been nothing short of herculean. It is a textbook example of quintessential HBO teamwork. The problem before us is unfortunately all too familiar in the world we now find ourselves a part of. As has been the case with any challenge we have ever faced, I have absolutely no doubt that we will navigate our way through this successfully."