Skip to main content

Hackers steal and leak episodes from ‘Game of Thrones,’ other HBO series

Hackers Steal Content for Several HBO Series Including Game of Thrones
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Life in Westeros is filled with dangers — rival houses, deadly diseases, armies of undead — but fans of Game of Thrones now have their own enemies to watch out for: leaks and spoilers. The internet already swarms with spoilers, but a recent cyber-attack against HBO has resulted in episodes and scripts for several of the network’s TV series being leaked online, and could likely turn your social media feed into a veritable minefield for the next few weeks.

The massive hack was first reported by Entertainment Weekly. The culprits obtained 1.5 terabytes of data, which includes upcoming episodes from Ballers and Room 104 and the script for next week’s episode of Game of Thrones, all of which have been leaked online. According to the anonymous hackers, more stolen content will be “coming soon.”

In an official statement regarding the hack, HBO confirmed that it “recently experienced a cyber incident, which resulted in the compromise of proprietary information. 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.” Despite these efforts, it remains unknown who carried out the leak.

Hacking and leaking have become facts of internet life in recent years, with other major media companies like Sony having upcoming projects and internal production details leaked by hackers. Companies like Yahoo, Dropbox, and Verizon have also seen user data compromised due to cyber sleuths. Even smartphones and smart TVs are at risk these days.

The hack is certainly a serious blow for HBO and the cast and crew of the affected shows, but the leaks will also affect fans. If you’ve been seeking to avoid spoilers, take extra heed this week as details of the leaked episodes and scripts may spread beyond spoiler threads and into social media. It’s also a strong possibility, given the extent of the stolen data and the threats of the hackers, that even more content from the current seasons of Game of Thrones, Ballers, Room 104, and possibly other shows will hit the internet. Stay vigilant, friends.

Editors' Recommendations

Brendan Hesse
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brendan has written about a wide swath of topics, including music, fitness and nutrition, and pop culture, but tech was…
The 10 most powerful Game of Thrones characters ever, ranked
Daenerys and Jon meeting together in her room.

House of the Dragon ended its hugely successful first season with an episode that included everything, from plots to steal the Iron Throne to dragon battles and a violent death. In short, it was just another day in Westeros. Yes, House of the Dragon was a resounding success, but it owes much of it to Game of Thrones. The show that single-handedly revived the fantasy genre and redefined what the word "spectacle" meant in television, GoT was a game-changer.

The show conquered fans' and critics' hearts with a successful mix of political intrigue and good, old-fashioned drama; there was nothing like it on television or film. Game of Thrones featured a seemingly endless parade of morally-dubious characters vying to seat on a pointy chair, and we couldn't get enough of them. Indeed, the pursuit of power was at the heart of GoT, with every major player wanting to get their share of the glory. But what is power in Westeros? Varys said it best: it's an illusion, a shadow on the wall. And these characters certainly cast a very large shadow. Whether because of their resources, armies, gold, or charm, these figures were the most powerful in Westeros and the beating heart of the game of thrones.
10. Jon Snow

Read more
Game of Thrones: the best Jon Snow episodes
Jon Snow beyond the wall in Game of Thrones.

Though we're only two episodes into the new series, HBO's House of the Dragon has so far successfully captured the thrill of week-to-week dark fantasy epics, political drama, and overall excitement for the characters and world of Game of Thrones. A second season was already greenlit less than a week after the series premiere but with the recent bombshell of the Kit Harington/Jon Snow-led sequel series in development, it's worth revisiting the impact of the original show as well as its potential future.

Despite a final season that went off the rails, Jon Snow cemented his status as a pop culture fantasy icon and one of the most compelling characters in Thrones' main cast. As such, he's had a great spotlight in a handful of the series' best episodes.
Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things (season 1, episode 4)

Read more
Why Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power can’t be a Game of Thrones rip-off
Morfydd Clark in "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power."

Even before Game of Thrones went off the air, there was rampant and wild speculation about which show might emerge that could replace it. Game of Thrones was, according to some, the end of an era where TV fans would all watch the same show and then spend the following week discussing the latest episode and speculating about what was to come. Recently, House of the Dragon has attempted to prove that Game of Thrones can be an heir to itself, but another show that has also entered the fray hopes to become something of a phenomenon.

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has often been described as Amazon's version of Thrones. The company has invested enormous sums of money into the show, and it's set in a similar fantasy universe as Thrones, with flying creatures and human actors wearing bad white wigs. George R.R. Martin, the mind behind Game of Thrones, was a huge J.R. Tolkien fan, and wrote his own fantasy series essentially in response to Tolkien's totemic works. That's part of the reason why, whatever Rings of Power turns out to be, it has to be more than just a riff on Game of Thrones, even though its source material was created long before anybody sat on the Iron Throne.
Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones are not the same thing

Read more