Hackers who claim to have all the information from HBO have threatened to continue to leak more content from the network’s shows and other sensitive information unless they are given a large ransom.
The anonymous group demanded HBO to pay millions of dollars in bitcoin to stop it from posting the information publicly.
The threat was posted alongside a 3.4 GB cache of other data which the group says it stole from HBO. According to a report by The Associated Press, the cache contains:
– A draft script of an upcoming “Game of Thrones” episode.
– One month’s worth of emails from the inbox of an HBO executive.
– A screenshot of folders with labels like “Budgets,” “Legal,” and “Licensing & Retail.”
– Documents containing the personal phone numbers and email addresses of “Game of Thrones” cast members, including Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, and Lena Headey.
The hackers made a five-minute video demanding to the network’s CEO, Richard Plepler, from a “Mr. Smith.” According to Wired, the video was set to the “Game of Thrones” theme music.
The hackers gave HBO three days to pay. On July 31, the group claimed to have stolen a total of 1.5 terabytes, or 1,500 GB, of data from the network.
The hackers’ website, Winter-Leak.com, appears to be down. It is not immediately clear why.
The FBI and the cybersecurity firm Mandiant, which investigated the 2014 Sony hack, is now working with HBO to get to the bottom of the issue.
