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The new Pirates of the Caribbean was held for ransom, and now people are releasing spoilers. Fans of Game of Thrones had been patiently waiting for season 7 and whether you think it is great or bad, nobody like’s their show to be ruined, but this leak was damaging nonetheless.
HBO has had their data leaked several times in the past. Game Of Thrones is almost half way through its season 7. However, it looks like some people did not want to wait for the next episode and resorted to hacking. Ballers upcoming episode got the same exact treatment. You can find the whole episode Ballers and Room 104 online before it was ever released.
We immediately began investigating the incident and are working with law enforcement and outside cyber-security firms. Data protection is a top priority at HBO, and we take seriously our responsibility to protect the data we hold.
GoT has gotten attention like this in the past too. In 2015 first four episodes of season 5 were also leaked online.
Richard Plepler, the CEO of HBO mailed an official statement to all the employees about the breach in their data.
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. 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.
The hack was noticed when an anonymous email was sent to an entertainment reporter. The email stated the following.
Hello to all mankind. The greatest leak of cyber space era is happening. What’s its name? Oh I forgot to tell you. It’s HBO and Game of Thrones! You are lucky to be the first pioneers to witness and download the leak. Enjoy it and spread the words. Whoever spreads well, we will have an interview with him. HBO is falling.
