HBO Breach Did Not Compromise Full Email System: CEO

HBO CEO Richard Plepler does not believe the company's entire email system was compromised in a recent large-scale security breach, CNN Tech reports. The company is investigating the breach with outside security firms and law enforcement to determine the extent of the attack and players involved.

The unknown hacker(s) behind the breach claim to possess 1.5 terabytes of data, the report continues. If true, this would make the HBO incident significantly bigger than the 2014 Sony hack in which attackers leaked 200GB of information.

HBO has confirmed few details on the breach. But Roderick Jones, security expert and founder of Rubica, theorizes the hack was possible because HBO stores its content using outdated technology. Windows in particular has been used among hackers, including those behind the Sony breach, to target the entertainment industry with cyberattacks.

"The WannaCry attack … That was targeted at an old Windows system," says Jones in a statement to Digital Trends. "That has created a vulnerability for HBO. I would say that's probably a certainty, because that's where the weaknesses are." Alternatively, Jones continues, hackers may have targeted individual employees to steal personal information.

The Hollywood Reporter obtained an email from the alleged hacker, who calls himself Kind Mr. Smith and claims he will release evidence of his access to HBO emails on Sunday. He also says the breach is "about money," an indication he demanded ransom from the company.

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