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HBO hacked by OurMine in latest cybersecurity breach

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By Robyn Darbyshire , Junior Content Editor

August 17, 2017 | 3 min read

HBO’s Facebook and Twitter accounts have been hacked in the second cybersecurity breach to hit the firm in the past month.

GOT

HBO hack: company hit by OurMine in latest breach.

A group called OurMine appeared to take control of the HBO’s main social media accounts, as well for shows such as Game of Thrones, in what was deemed a test of the network’s security.

One post left by the group said "OurMine are here. we are just testing your security", while another read ‘Let’s make #HBOHacked trending!’ Some posts were quickly deleted afterwards.

In a statement to The Drum, an HBO spokesperson said: "The infringement on our social media accounts was recognized and rectified quickly."

HBO

OurMine, which has a reputation for compromising high profile accounts, describes itself as a ‘white hat’ group with no bad intentions, offering personal and corporate network vulnerability testing. The group has an unusual advertising model, offering cybersecurity services to the accounts it hacks.

This is the latest in a spate of cybersecurity woes HBO has experienced in the past month. On July 27 the network was victim to a hack that saw it lose 1.5 terabytes of data, including Game of Thrones scripts and employee data. According to Variety however, the hackers also stole ‘thousands of Home Box Office internal company documents’. In a video posted online over a week later, the unnamed hackers demanded at least $6m in Bitcoin from HBO within three days, in exchange for the information not to be leaked.

It appears HBO didn't pay up as the wheels are already in motion. In a leak reported earlier this week, the unknown perpetrator(s) published several episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm – the new season of which isn't due to air until October. Episodes of Insecure, Ballers, Barry, and The Deuce have also been made available online. An unaired episode of Game of Thrones episode was leaked on 4 August, three days before its debut.

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