HBO Hacker Charged Over $6 Million Extortion Attempt, 'Game of Thrones' Script Leak

A man has been charged in the high-profile hack attack that gave “Game of Throne” fans sneak peeks at unaired episodes of Season 7.

The acting United States attorney for the southern district of New York has pressed charges against the hacker who attempted to extort $6 million from HBO and leaked scripts of “Game of Thrones” earlier this year.

Behzad Mesri, an Iran-based computer hacker who previously worked for the Iran military, breached HBO’s computer networks and employee files and stole 1.5 terabytes of data.

Also Read: HBO Hackers Leak 'Game of Thrones' Season 7 Finale Secrets

After sending an email to HBO in July, revealing that the stolen files included full scripts and cast lists for the seventh season of “Game of Thrones” and “precious data” for other unaired shows, Mesri demanded $6 million worth of bitcoin as ransom, the Department of Justice said on Tuesday, according to USA Today.

“Mesri now stands charged with federal crimes, and although not arrested today, he will forever have to look over his shoulder until he is made to face justice,” acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said in a statement. “American ingenuity and creativity is to be cultivated and celebrated — not hacked, stolen, and held for ransom. For hackers who test our resolve in protecting our intellectual property — even those hiding behind keyboards in countries far away — eventually, winter will come.”

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FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. added: “In the simplest of terms, he lurked in the alleyways of the internet, identified the vulnerabilities of his victim, and pickpocketed their information from thousands of miles away. After he had successfully identified their proprietary secrets, he held their future for ransom. Today’s charges show that international cybercriminals are never beyond the reach of U.S. laws.”

Mesri, who also goes by the pseudonym Skote Vahshat, is charged with one count of wire fraud, one count of computer hacking, three counts of threatening to impair the confidentiality of information, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of interstate transmission of an extortionate communication.

Altogether, the charges carry a maximum sentence of 44 years in prison.

Hollywood's Biggest Brands Haunted by Hackers, From HBO to Disney (Photos)

Since the high-profile hack of Sony Pictures in 2014, cybersecurity has become one of Hollywood's top concerns as more studios and networks continue to become prime targets.
The biggest and most consequential hack to hit Hollywood was the Sony Pictures hack of 2014. Spurred by the studio's then-upcoming comedy "The Interview," about a plot to assassinate Kim Jong-Un, North Korean hackers were able to access employee information, emails, unreleased projects and other damaging information.
Sony
Netflix fell victim to a hack in 2017 when a group called "The Dark Overlord" stole episodes of "Orange Is the New Black" from a post-production house. When the streamer failed to meet ransom demands, the group released 10 episodes of the series weeks ahead of the scheduled premiere.
Netflix
After The Dark Overlord successfully released "Orange Is the New Black," the group took to Twitter promising to target other companies next. The group named ABC its next target in a vague tweet, but did not specify which show or shows it was threatening to release.
ABC
When The Dark Overlord took "Orange Is the New Black" from Larson Studios, it also reportedly made off with other unaired shows, including "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "Portlandia." ABC, NBC, FX, National Geographic, E!, Disney Channel and Lifetime were also contacted by the FBI, who was investigating the incident, to notify them that their work may have been compromised.
CBS
Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed in a company town hall meeting that the film studio had received a ransom demand from a hacker who claimed to have stolen one of their unreleased films. Reports said the pirated film was "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," though it was never released. Iger later said in an interview that he believed it to be a hoax.
Getty Images
UTA suffered a "malware incident" in April, in which hackers held the company's computer systems hostage, demanding payment in bitcoin. Meetings were canceled and pushed, with the talent agency effectively shut down as the company raced to respond. Outside investigators concluded that no sensitive information was compromised.
Getty Images
The Sundance Film Festival also suffered a cyberattack in 2017. The box office was forced to go offline for roughly 40 minutes as the festival responded to the situation, but no screenings were affected by the outage. "Our artist's voices will be heard and the show will go on," the festival said in a statement.
Getty Images
In the middle of the seventh season run of its biggest hit "Game of Thrones," HBO suffered a cyber breach in which hackers reportedly obtained a copy of the script for an upcoming episode. Unaired episodes of "Ballers" and "Room 104" were also stolen and released online.
HBO

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Since 2014’s massive Sony hack, Hollywood continues to be compromised

Since the high-profile hack of Sony Pictures in 2014, cybersecurity has become one of Hollywood's top concerns as more studios and networks continue to become prime targets.

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Hollywood's Biggest Brands Haunted by Hackers, From HBO to Disney (Photos)

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