{"id":76550,"date":"2017-07-31T17:34:51","date_gmt":"2017-08-01T00:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=76550"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:11:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T16:11:09","slug":"hbo-targeted-by-a-cyberattack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/hbo-targeted-by-a-cyberattack\/","title":{"rendered":"HBO Targeted by a Cyberattack, Potential \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d Scripts and Episodes Leaked"},"content":{"rendered":"

The night is dark and full of hackers. HBO (Home Box Office, Inc.) has been thrown into chaos, as the major television network was hit with a massive cyberattack<\/a> Sunday morning. The biggest target: the widely popular show \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d, with full length episodes and future scripts potentially compromised<\/a> by the attack. Additional series that have also been impacted include \u201cBallers\u201d and \u201cRoom 104.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, just how bad is the extent of this breach<\/a>? The cybercriminals, who are going by the name little.finger66, have apparently leaked<\/a> 1.5 terabytes of data, which isn’t a small sum. In fact, it means this attack compromised seven times the amount of data stolen in the Sony hack. Even the FBI is getting involved.<\/p>\n

Though details on how this breach happened are still unraveling, the cybercriminals targeted specific content and data housed in different locations, which suggests multiple points of entry.<\/p>\n

What we do know, however, is that these cybercriminals aren\u2019t in it for the money– instead just eager to damage HBO and its reputation. This was first indicated when reporters received an anonymous email on Sunday announcing the attack. The malicious message reads: “Hi to all mankind, the greatest leak of cyber space era is happening. What’s its name? Oh I forget to tell. Its HBO and Game of Thrones\u2026\u2026!!!!!! You are lucky to be the first pioneers to witness and download the leak. Enjoy it & spread the words. Whoever spreads well, we will have an interview with him. HBO is falling.”<\/p>\n

Just after, the network sent a message of their own, confirming the breach in an official statement, stating, \u201cHBO recently experienced a cyber incident, which resulted in the compromise of proprietary information. We immediately began investigating the incident and are working with law enforcement and outside cybersecurity firms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, on the morning of August 2nd<\/sup>, the cybercriminals made their first move, uploading a plethora of files on their own site called WinterLeak. Included in these files, which are named \u201cHBO is Falling\u201d, are apparently a \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d script and episode snippets. Users who downloaded the video content, however, described one file as a slideshow of an upcoming episode\u2019s script set to music and another as only a\u00a0mashup of\u00a0episode promos and trailers.<\/p>\n

WinterLeak also boasts episodes of additional HBO series, including the first three episodes of \u201cBallers\u2019\u201d new season, episodes 1 and 2 of upcoming comedy series \u201cBarry\u201d, episode 2 and 3 of \u201cRoom 104\u201d, and episode 2 of \u201cInsecure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another file included in the \u201cHBO is Falling\u201d group potentially features the personal information of\u00a0Viviane Eisenberg, the\u00a0current Executive Vice President Legal Affairs\u00a0<\/strong>for HBO. It allegedly contains credentials for social media, banking, and email accounts.<\/p>\n

Moral of the story: HBO and the FBI have a lot of work to do. Unfortunately, they can take notes from a few of their predecessors, as this massive leak joins a slew of recent attacks aimed at major Hollywood companies, including both Disney<\/a> and Netflix<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tips to Secure Your Entertainment<\/h2>\n

Therefore, with these leaks on the rise, it\u2019s important users do their part to help out these companies and keep entertainment data secure. To do just that, follow these tips:<\/p>\n