NEW YORK: HBO said Monday its network was victimized by a cyber attack, and media reports said the hack resulted in the leak of a script of the popular series “Game of Thrones” and content from other productions.
A statement by the Time Warner-owned TV group said a “cyber incident” resulted in “the compromise of proprietary information,” and that the company had contacted law enforcement and outside cyber security firms.
The statement did not indicate what was compromised, but several media reports said hackers obtained 1.5 terabytes of data including the script of a new episode of the award-winning fantasy series as well as unaired episodes of two other programs, ‘Ballers’ and ‘Room 104.’
“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,” HBO chief Richard Plepler said in a memo to staff.
Some media journalists, including one from a foreign agency, received emails from an unidentified address boasting of the breach and proposing unaired content from “Game of Thrones.”
“Hi to all mankind. The greatest leak of cyber space era is happening. What’s its name? Oh, I forget to tell. It’s 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,” reads an anonymous email sent to reporters announcing the hack.