HBO's hacking woes continue with social media account attack
HBO says it is investigating another hack after the entertainment giant's Twitter and Facebook accounts were compromised Wednesday night.
The hackers warned the network's security is vulnerable. Anonymous hackers recently claimed to have stolen unaired episodes and scripts from popular HBO shows like "Game of Thrones" and also said they took data from the company's servers, reports CBS News correspondent Vladimir Duthiers.
"They really should be celebrating since 'Game of Thrones' is breaking viewership records," said Matthew Belloni of The Hollywood Reporter. He says the battle over creative property is intensifying.
"This entire situation of a big corporate entity going back and forth with hackers is something you would see on an HBO show. These are high-profile targets, and hackers know they can get attention if they go after them," Belloni said.
In the latest attack, the company's Twitter and Facebook accounts appear to have been breached by a group called OurMine, which, in recent years, has taken over media accounts of Netflix, Marvel and Google.
In a separate attack in July, hackers claim to have stolen large files from the HBO servers – including internal emails, show scripts and unaired episodes of multiple shows.
On Sunday, leaked episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" popped up online.
The hackers released a video ransom note, demanding money and signing off with a cruel "Game of Thrones"-related joke: "Winter is coming – HBO is falling."
A spokesperson for HBO told "CBS This Morning" the hacks are an effort, "to generate media attention. That's a game we're not going to participate in." But Belloni said the attack on HBO is a wake-up call.
"Hollywood companies in particular are beefing up their security systems way more than before the Sony hack in 2014," Belloni said. "I think they're going to start doing even more to beef up security."
HBO is also dealing with what it calls inadvertent leaks from its overseas partners.
