HBO offers $ 250,000 to hackers after attack and GOT leaks

Hackers behind the hacking on HBO have released an e-mail in which the American TV station offers $ 250,000 as a “reward payment,” Variety magazine said Friday. HBO’s message, a Time Warner channel that features the “Game of Thrones” series – and has had one of its leaked scripts and episode – offers the money not as a rescue of files but as part of a program in which professional hackers are rewarded For identifying security breaches, a common good in the technology sector.

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Payment would not be a ransom but a way to compensate hackers for finding a flaw – its all about Digital Security

The e-mail was written in a way that would allow HBO to gain time as it assesses the situation, Variety reported, citing a source close to HBO’s investigation. HBO also called on hackers to extend the deadline for payment of the amounts in a week.

The Guardian and other publications reported earlier this week that hackers had posted some stolen HBO files on the Internet after the invasion, demanding a redemption payment in the bitcoin currency to prevent further leaks. The “Game of Thrones” series in Season Seven is the main highlight of the network to attract new subscribers and paying users in its HBO Go streaming app.

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HBO did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

It is worth remembering that the guidance of security experts on ransomware-type attacks, which request a redemption in bitcoins to return access to data is that this amount is not paid. There is no guarantee that the files will be returned by hackers, nor that there will be a new attack. The payment of the amounts, almost always in bitcoins, also perpetuates this type of crime on the Internet.