'Game of Thrones' Hackers Demand Millions to Stop Leaking Episodes

Before episode four of Game of Thrones officially aired on HBO on Sunday night, hackers using the pseudonym “Mr. Smith” leaked the script and full episode. Now these same troublemakers want to continue to disrupt things over at HBO, and they have big demands. Stating they have only released a half-gigabyte sample from 1.5 terabytes of stolen info, “Mr. Smith” have left HBO with a ransom note and demands to prevent further leaks which would include more scripts, episodes and HBO documents such as emails, actors’s phone numbers and employment agreements from the likes of Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage and Emilia Clarke.

In the ransom note to HBO CEO Richard Plepler, the hackers are demanding “our six month salary in bitcoin,” which equates to around $6 million USD. The note went on to state, “Our demand is clear and Non-Negotiable: We want XXXX dollars to stop leaking your Data. HBO spends $12 million USD for Market Research and $5 million USD for GOT7 advertisements. So consider us another budget for your advertisements!”

So far HBO has shown no willingness to cooperate with Plepler stating, “Any intrusion of this nature is obviously disruptive, unsettling and disturbing for all of us. The problem before us is unfortunately all too familiar in the world we now find ourselves a part of.”

Let us know your thoughts below. And in case you’ve missed it, the Game of Thrones crew breaks down the epic battle scene from “Spoils of War.”