Game Of Thrones 7 : After Posting Stolen Scripts Online, Hackers Demand Bitcoin Ransom

A hacker or hackers going by the name
Mr. Smith dumped a trove of stolen HBO files online Monday , hinting at the extent of the network’s security breach last week.
The files include five Game of Thrones scripts and a month’s worth of emails from Leslie Cohen, the network’s vice president for film programming. This is the second data dump from the recent hack, according to the Associated Press.
The hackers also demanded a ransom from HBO, threatening to release more of remaining files they claim to have obtained.
The Game of Thrones scripts , including one for an upcoming episode, were watermarked with the words “HBO is Falling,” which is the hackers’ motto, according to Wired. Also included in the data dump were internal documents such as financial balance sheets, a report of legal claims against the network and job offer letters for several of its top executives, AP reported.
The hackers sent HBO’s chief executive Richard Plepler a dramatic video letter showing a scroll unfurling while the Game of Thrones score plays, Wired reported. The scroll read, in part, “We successfully breached into your huge network. . . . HBO was one of our difficult targets to deal with but we succeeded (it took about 6 months),” according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The hackers demanded “our 6 month salary in bitcoin,” which appeared to be at least $6 million, the New York Times reported.
HBO doubled-down on its claim that “the review to date has not given us a reason to believe that our e-mail system as a whole has been compromised,” in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter. But the network did say it “believed that further leaks might emerge from this cyber incident when we confirmed it last week.”