It was only a matter of time, but the ultimate threat to HBO has been unleashed, as hackers tell the internet to ‘get ready’ for Game of Thrones season 7 finale to drop.
The hackers, known as the ‘Mr Smith group’, contacted Mashable with information including the passwords for all of HBO’s social media sites.
They also issued this poorly worded threat:
Be ready for GOT S& E6 &E7 as soon as possible
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The information is unverified, but given the success of previous leaks in the past few weeks, there’s no real reason to think the season 7 finale won’t be leaked.
Twitter accounts included in the data dump are @HBO, @GameOfThrones and @WestworldHBO.
They have claimed they have access to many HBO platforms, and have lots of info to leak.
HBO’s only response to this has been the same as it has since these leaks began:
We are not in communication with the hacker and we’re not going to comment every time a new piece of information is released.
It has been widely reported that there was a cyber incident at HBO. The hacker may continue to drop bits and pieces of stolen information in an attempt to generate media attention.
That’s a game we’re not going to participate in. Obviously, no company wants their proprietary information stolen and released on the internet.
Transparency with our employees, partners, and the creative talent that works with us has been our focus throughout this incident and will remain our focus as we move forward.
This incident has not deterred us from ensuring HBO continues to do what we do best.
The hackers have asked for a stupendous $6.5 million ransom to ensure that episodes of Game of Thrones and other shows do not leak, and it might get to the point where HBO have to cough up the cash.
As well as Game of Thrones, episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Deuce and Ballers have been rumoured to be part of the potential coming leaks.
