HBO recently made the headlines after hackers stole 1.5 terabytes of data relating to the “Game of Thrones” TV show. The hackers have on Monday released a fresh batch of the stolen files online and are demanding a huge ransom to prevent them posting more.

Video message to HBO CEO included in upload

Included in the online upload of data was a video with a message from a hacker named “Mr. Smith,” directly addressing the HBO CEO Richard Plepler. Using white text against a black background, the hackers released an ultimatum to the television network.

In the ultimatum, “Mr. Smith” demanding HBO pay a multi-million dollar ransom or see entire TV series and sensitive data posted online. To be exact, the hackers are expecting their “six-month salary” paid in Bitcoin, claiming they get from $12 to $15 million each year from blackmailing organizations like themselves, penetrated by them. The hackers also claimed HBO is their 17th target, adding that only three organizations failed to pay the requested ransom.

In closing, they said they would only deal with “Richard” (Plepler) and will only send one letter with details on how to pay the ransom.

The text of the video was in English but was reportedly full of misspellings.

Emails and personal contact information included in HBO hack

As reported by the Hollywood Reporter, the dump uploaded by the hackers consists mainly of technical data on the layout of the HBO network, along with the passwords of network administrators.

However, there were draft scripts from at least five episodes of “Game of Thrones,” including one that has yet to be aired. They had also accessed email from an HBO executive's account, covering around one month. However, the Hollywood Reporter later removed that executive's name from their report.

As reported by the Mercury News, another document uploaded by the hackers reveals confidential information about “Game of Thrones” cast members, including personal email addresses and cellphone numbers for various actors, including Emilia Clark, Peter Dinklage, and Lena Headey.

What seems to be their biggest threat, however, is the fact the hackers are planning to post future episodes of TV shows emblazoned with the logo “HBO is Falling.”

HBO working to resolve the attack

The LA Times quotes a statement by HBO, saying their forensic review into the hack is still ongoing, but so far they have no reason to believe their entire email system was compromised. However, they are working with law enforcement and outside cyber-security firms in an effort to resolve the situation.
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