After Sony, hackers target HBO with serious consequences

HBO has suffered a major cyber attack which has resulted in the leak of upcoming episodes of a couple of series and at least one alleged script or treatment. With this HBO has joined the ranks of Hollywood entertainment companies that have been a victim of such cyber incidents in the past.

The leaked content have been put online by hackers who breached the company’s systems and are threatening to come up soon with more such attacks. So far, an upcoming episode of Ballers and Room 104 have apparently been put online. There is also written material that’s allegedly from next week’s fourth episode of Game of Thrones. Altogether hackers claim to have obtained 1.5 terabytes of data from the company.

“HBO recently experienced a cyber incident, which resulted in the compromise of proprietary information,” the network confirmed in a statement. “We immediately began investigating the incident and are working with law enforcement and outside cybersecurity firms. Data protection is a top priority at HBO, and we take seriously our responsibility to protect the data we hold.”

HBO is not commenting on what content might have been stolen, confirming specific titles or the amount of data accessed. This morning, HBO chairman and CEO Richard Plepler sent an email to HBO employees alerting them of the breach.

HBO chairman and CEO Richard Plepler sent a mail to HBO employees confirming and alerting them of a security breach. “As most of you have probably heard by now, there has been a cyber incident directed at the company which has resulted in some stolen proprietary information, including some of our programming,” he wrote. “Any intrusion of this nature is obviously disruptive, unsettling, and disturbing for all of us. I can assure you that senior leadership and our extraordinary technology team, along with outside experts, are working round the clock to protect our collective interests.”

Back in India, Ankush Johar, Director - BugsBounty.com remarks that after Sony's hack in 2014, the HBO hack is a reminder of the new world that we live in. “1.5 Terabytes is a lot of data to lose! The question is not IF you will be hacked, it's WHEN you will be hacked. And when you do, have you put the right alarm bells in place to mitigate your risk and minimise the damage?" he said.

"Here's an analogy from the real world: You nor I can stop intruders from attacking our homes. We put burglar alarms in our homes, so if a break in does happen, the alarm sounds out loud and clear. This threat alert mechanism needs to be put in place by organisations who handle customer data or precious intellectual property. Testing this system periodically, by conducting 'Hacking Simulations' is even more important to check that it still works! This is what we do in real life. Why organisations don't do this in the digital world is hard to imagine."