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Game of Thrones Hackers Demand Ransom (bbc.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: Hackers who have leaked Game of Thrones scripts and other data from entertainment company HBO have released a note demanding a ransom payment. In a new dump, they also published a script for the as yet unbroadcast fifth episode of the current series. Company documents and video episodes of other HBO shows were also shared. The hackers claim to have 1.5TB of data in total, but HBO has said it does not believe its email system has been compromised. Documents in the latest leak were marked "HBO is falling," according to the Wired news site, and included legal information, employment agreements and other company files. The Associated Press reports that some documents appeared to contain personal contact information for Game of Thrones actors.
"Hackers" have stolen a bunch of mediocre ass-time video that I can't be bothered to hunt down on creepy file sharing sites before it appears in the mail on DVD in a few months. I can't imagine HBO paying these creeps a dime; they have no actual reason to do so.
Yeah...good luck with that...
Sony pictures CEO lost her job from email leaks. They might not care about scripts and episodes, but executives are worried about having their dirty laundry out today in the open.
"The hackers claim to have 1.5TB of data in total, but HBO has said it does not believe its email system has been compromised."
Why the but? These two clauses are causally unrelated. Unless HBO is asserting the only method by which the hackers could come into possession of company documents and video is via an email hack.
Try:
"Company documents and video episodes of other HBO shows were also shared, and the hackers claim to have 1.5TB of data in total. HBO has said it does not believe its email system has been compromised."
Any GoT fan worth their salt would likely go out of their way to avoid learning any spoilers (especially from criminals leaking scripts) until they can enjoy the episode at the same time as friends and co-workers, then spend hours the next day discussing the episode instead of working. The thieves got nothing of value. ($.02)
Half of the main characters will die.
Just like every season.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Send a Dragon there way that will get them!
"leaked" "scripts"
greatest fakeout EVAR.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Be uploading to various topsites that trickle down to us torrent-using plebeians! Yarr, shiver me timbers
Some cripples, bastards, and broken things wanted HBO's golden crown, not realizing that they quest may put them at the pointy end of the US justice system. Like a man without honor they tried to push HBO onto to walk of punishment while thinking of the children. Lets hope HBO remains unbowed, unbent and unbroken, for no one deserves success in such a scheme in getting their spoils of war.
"The hackers claim to have 1.5TB of data in total, but HBO has said it does not believe its email system has been compromised."
You could take the script for EVERY game of thrones episode and fit it onto a single CD-ROM... without compression. The hackers have ***1.5TB of data***. You don't get that much data from scripts. They obviously have video. I don't know about HBO, but you don't usually go EMAILING video back and forth in your organization.
Either people don't care about GoT, in which case some might go and watch the free dumps and some might decide they like it and you now have new customers, or they love the series and they may watch the free dumps because they're available earlier, but will still buy to get hold of the released episodes.
This person is just being a dick and should probably figure out something better with their lives. Stop, you're just being dumb
Winter is coming!
*spoiler alert*
Did I do this right?
And if they pay this group, the episodes are going to be leaked by a completely independent team of indian hacker who managed to get their hand on pre-review material.
And if these indian got arrested in time, some other group will manage to release the video acquired by yet another method.
There simply is no way paying a ransom to avoid leaking videos online, even if you're 100% sure that the guys asking for the money are honnest and won't release it anyway after running away with the money.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
The way we see things is different from the way the producers see things. I reckon it's mostly an ego thing, but also there's that corporate mentality and insecurity where you don't want to be a scapegoat. The hackers also have egos, and, because they stole this, they want to think they've gotten something really big and important. In fact, the hackers may be the ones who are most blinded by ego.
An example of the disconnect that can exist between sellers and customers comes from the publishing world. According to the wikipedia, the author of the book thriller "Day Of The Jackal" had a hard time finding a publisher because the book was written about an assassination attempt on Charles DeGaulle and DeGaulle had already died of natural causes. So publishers thought readers wouldn't be interested in a story where they knew DeGaulle was going to survive so there wouldn't be any suspense. But the book was a best-seller. It may be that the producers of "Game Of Thrones" have an inflated sense of the importance of no spoilers. (Sometimes in whodunnits spoilers may spoil, and in movies like "The Crying Game", but is "Game Of Thrones" like that?)
I think spilling the beans will make little difference in viewership (might even increase it because it's publicity, and there's no such thing as bad publicity.) However, the suits might think it's going to make a difference. Then again, they might not. Or they might decide being successfully blackmailed is worse. Personally, I'll be surprised if they paid up, but I've been surprised before.
In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice they're different. (Yogi Berra & A. Einstein)
This is the best advertisement HBO can get. Probably a staged 'hack' intended to get more media coverage. Anyone who goes to the trouble to find this is almost certainly a watching fan already and will undoubtedly watch the download and then binge on past episodes, then watch the new stuff, posting to twitter and Facebook all the way along. I've read the song of fire and ice as well as the wildcards trust for a long time, but I've never actually seen an episode on HBO.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
There. I just published the script for everyone. *Spoiler alert*
This is the best advertisement HBO can get. Probably a staged 'hack' intended to get more media coverage. Anyone who goes to the trouble to find this is almost certainly a watching fan already and will undoubtedly watch the download and then binge on past episodes, then watch the new stuff, posting to twitter and Facebook all the way along. I've read the song of fire and ice as well as the wildcards trust for a long time, but I've never actually seen an episode on HBO.
That is extremely unlikely--less than 1%. Generally a bad idea to directly fake being a victim of a crime. It can easily get you arrested if you do it wrong. (Most obviously by making any false reports to authorities). It can also make you look incredibly bad if anyone finds out. In this case, we know the FBI is already involved in the investigation and lying to FBI agents is a crime.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.c...
In addition, HBO just doesn't need to go to such lengths for more media coverage for Thrones. It's a viral phenomenon. If you don't hear about it, you're living under a rock.
Real lawyers write in C++
To be honest, I watch the show for the drama and the action. The "reveals" are cool, too, but hardly the reason why every episode is causing me to watch it. After the show airs, they have literally nothing of value. Right now, they have extremely weak leverage that they can release to the world and only the people who are incapable of waiting for the episode will find out what's going to happen. Those of us who aren't interested in spoilers will wait until the episodes air, and we'll be just fine with it. If ever there was a reason to not panic, this "leak" is it.
Sarbonn's blog: http://www.sarbonn.com/blog