 U.S.
prosecutors charge Iranian in 'Game of Thrones' hack
Send a link to a friend
[November 22, 2017]
By Jim Finkle
(Reuters) - U.S.
prosecutors have charged an Iranian national with
hacking into cable TV network HBO and stealing episodes
and plot summaries for unaired programs including "Game
of Thrones," then threatening to release the data unless
he was paid $6 million.
|
|
 Behzad Mesri, also known as "Skote Vahshat,"
was charged with the hack in a sealed indictment that was
released on Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said at a news conference that
Mesri was in Iran. He said Mesri would face consequences even
though U.S. authorities could not immediately arrest him.
"He will never be able to travel outside of Iran without fear of
being arrested and brought here," Kim said.
Kim described Mesri as an "experienced and sophisticated hacker
who has been wreaking havoc on computer systems around the world
for some time."
Prosecutors said Mesri had worked on behalf of Iran's military
to attack military systems, nuclear software systems and Israeli
infrastructure.
They also alleged that he helped an Iranian hacking group, Turk
Black Hat Security Team, deface hundreds of websites in the
United States and other countries.
The cyber attack surfaced over the summer as HBO was running a
new season of "Game of Thrones," and as the cable network's
parent Time Warner Inc <TWX.N> sought regulatory approval to
sell itself to AT&T Inc <T.N> in an $85.4 billion deal announced
in October 2016.
The indictment charged Mesri with hacking into HBO from May to
August and stealing unaired episodes of programs such as "Ballers,"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "The Deuce."
[to top of second column] |
 Mesri also stole scripts and plot summaries for
"Game of Thrones," according to the indictment. It said he
obtained credentials that HBO employees use to access the
network, then used those accounts to steal data from the
company's servers from May to August of this year.
He demanded up to $6 million in extortion emails to
HBO staff to keep the data secret, some of which ended with photos
of Night King, a menacing zombie villain from "Game of Thrones,"
according to the indictment.
Reuters was unable to reach Mesri for comment.
Prosecutors charged Mesri with computer fraud, wire fraud, extortion
and identity theft.
HBO spokesman Jeff Cusson declined to comment on the indictment, and
on whether the company's investigation into the breach was complete
or how much the incident had cost the cable network.
(Reporting by Jim Finkle in Toronto; Additional reporting by Brendan
Pierson in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Bernadette Baum)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
