Game of Thrones season 7 is on the target again. The HBO show is scheduled to air its episode 5 this Monday but it looks like fans might get to know the follow up of the epic episode 4 sooner than scheduled. Hackers have leaked a huge chunk of intimate information from HBO online and it reportedly includes the draft script of five Game of Thrones episodes, including the upcoming one.
According to Wired, the scripts of the first four Game of Thrones episodes have been leaked online and the script of the yet-to-air fifth episode has also hit online. All the leaks are watermarked with hackers' motto, "HBO is Falling."
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With the new set of leaks, the hackers have finally revealed their motive -- extortion. Having access to the entire upcoming episodes of Game of Thrones season 7 and other HBO shows, the hackers have demanded a multimillion dollar ransom to stop the sensitive information to be shared online.
A ransom letter was attached to the new set of leaks. The note was published with a scrolling video set to the Game of Thrones score and it was addressed to HBO CEO Richard Plepler.
"Our demand is clear and Non-Negotiable: We want XXXX dollars to stop leaking your Data. HBO spends 12 million for Market Research and 5 million for GOT7 advertisements. So consider us another budget for your advertisements!" the note read. The hackers also warned that if the money is not given, they will continue with their leaks.
The deadline given by "Mr. Smith" (the hackers supposed name) has given HBO a deadline of three days from when the letter was sent.
In addition to the ransom video, the hackers also released a strange video summary of Game of Thrones season 7's episode 5. The video also constitutes of stills from the show explaining the plot summary.
Apart from the Game of Thrones leak, The Telegraph notes that the hackers have access to a month's worth of email from the account of Leslie Cohen, HBO's vice president for film programming. Leaked information also constitutes of internal documents, including a report of legal claims against the network and job offer letters to top executives.
Addressing the second set of leaks, HBO spokesperson Jeff Cusson told Wired that "forensic review is ongoing. The review to date has not given us a reason to believe that our email system as a whole has been compromised."
In addition to the ransom letter and internal documents, unreleased episodes of Room 104, Insecure season 2, an untitled show by Silicon Valley director Mike Judge, and Curb Your Enthusiasm season 9 are also in the hands of the hackers.
