Bitcoin Forum

Read the full article here:
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/11/hbo-hack-game-of-thrones-ransom.html

I can't believe that they're actually willing to pay 250K in Bitcoin just to prevent the scripts from being released.
Even if the scripts were released, I doubt they would lose any fans over it. It's not like that many people would even read it.

Still sad that Bitcoin is being associated with crime again.

Yes, when I mention that I own BTC people think that I'm engaged in criminal activity. They can't understand that I just love and have belief in BTC as most others who are not criminals.

The thing is that since Bitcoin is not yet that known by many people, when there can be news of a criminal activity and the ransom must be paid in Bitcoin the association is really automatic the name of Bitcoin is easily besmirched. Now, if there is a similar situation and the ransom must be paid in dollar...people will not make that automatic association because they know the dollar and that anybody can use it or abuse it. It is just human nature that when there is something new we usually assumed things without first verifying how true or reliable the information and association. We, people who already know about Bitcoin, can help spread correct information about the cryptocurrency and the ways things work here.

The fact that bitcoin is used for ransom is something we simply have to live with.
It's in the nature of bitcoins anonymity that it will always be used for that by criminals.
Maybe the studios and other businesses will learn from scenarios like that and store their data more savely.
After all, maybe it's a good thing that the industry is forced to rise its IT standards.
When you look at it from that perspective, the hackers might even do us all a favour.

Yep. Bad publicity for bitcoin again. Once again news affiliated with crime.  :(

I found this news funny though. I've seen alot of posts about this news on Facebook and YouTube. Looks like HBO is in panic, whereas people in the comments of Facebook are begging the hackers to release the scripts instead. LOL. Looks like they're not getting the script though. Me personally I am also interested in the script as I am quite a GoT fan eversince.  ;D One last thing. HBO should have known better lol. Why is their data so vulnerable? As it seems like the hackers aren't like "big time" hackers, as the ransom is quite small in my opinion, compared to other leaks.

I don't know why HBO are wiling to pay that ransom since the script and even summary of the whole season 7 of this year's Game of Thrones has been leaked already, I was very much skeptical about the authenticity of the whole thing which was leaked way back in  2016 but now that the new season has started and so far the 4 episodes seem to correlate to the leaked script, I have no choice than to believe that it's all true.

There is no crime here, are you an idiot? they had security bugs and problems, not only scripts but last week episode 4 of season 7 of Game of thrones

Were leaked before even airing on HBO channel. hackers managed to download a few episodes I think and even if scripts are compromised only thing would

Be a few hundred millions loss for HBO. they should be thanking them for not releasing the scripts and just want $250,000 that's nothing compared to the

Money HBO is earning by broadcasting the series. they could also request cash in a bag to be delivered in some public place, Bitcoin transactions being on

The open makes it even more traceable than cash.

Taking private property and threatening to sell them online unless they pay $250k isn't a crime?

Sounds like there could be theft, copyright infringement and blackmail to me.  That it will save HBO millions by only having to pay $250k changes nothing. I guess that if they do pay, the will also try to press charges.

Well that is just a bad publicity for bitcoin, hackers destroy everything... I hope they won't pay them, instead they can find them and sue them. Hacking is becoming more and more of a problem , the sentences  hacking should be much higher.

I'm sure stealing money out of pockets is also okay since there was no chain on the wallet and people should be thankful.

This is no game and they should face prison time, simple as that.

Agree - people want to view the drama, not read scripts. 

I wonder if the hackers stole other stuff besides the scripts? If so, that might be why they are paying up.

IF the leaked script is real stuff... HBO can take advantage of it ... just write and leak few fake scripts on deep web and get some free advertising ...  

With this article, more hackers will be aiming to hack HBO’s system for “bounty payment”. Seriously why would HBO agree to pay in the first place?  ???

This is how the elite want to destroy Bitcoin reputation. Mention it in the media in connection with crimes, money laundring, tax evasion, terrorism...

Okay, so I'm an idiot for merely posting this article and stating my opinion about it, thanks I guess.

So you're saying that it's totally fine that they actually stole all of their intellectual property and blackmail them for it?

Nothing wrong with pointing out flaws in their security, but once you start stealing and blackmailing, it's a crime and not even remotely ethical.
But hey, that's just one idiot's opinion...

Hopefully things like this one don't become the norm from here on out... Fast transactions to anywhere in the world is a huge benefit for everyone, including people with malicious intentions i guess... And since bitcoin is the most well known coin out there, that's what they're gonna target unfortunately. With that being said, i don't see a reason for HBO to pay this, just let them release the scripts... I know i wouldn't read the spoilers anyways (unless the hackers are taking the 250k and also pointing out the flaws in their security, then it might be worth it).

Why would they pay now, it doesn't make any sense. This is a huge amount of money and epoisodes of many series including Game of Thrones have leaked out so the damage is already done. If they pay they support criminal activities and that puts bad light on bitcoin (again) so they shouldn't do that.

I don't think that them paying the ransom would put an additional bad light on Bitcoin.
It's criminals asking for Bitcoin payments that puts a bad light on Bitcoin, the damage has already been done.

I actually wonder why they keep asking for Bitcoin payments, they could just ask for a more anonymous coin instead, maybe Monero or Dash?
Not that I'm actually supportive of these criminal acts ofc.

I've stated this elsewhere, but I really hope HBO doesn't pay.

Bad precedent. Both for IP holders and for BTC's optics.
Everyone already sees Bitcoin as money for the criminal
and sketchy, this certainly doesn't help. If BTC was easier
for your average Joe on the street to purchase, it would help.
People would be using it for everything, not just the currency
of choice for paying ransoms. But we're not there yet.

I don't know why they would pay $250,000 in Bitcoin to pay ransom for some scripts that will likely be read a couple times to completion, published and talked about for 3 days, and then forgotten about until their actual episodes come out. At most, there will be spoilers that can come of it, but even that is doubtful and probably won't end up happening in any meaningful manner. People will still subscribe to their channel, they will watch the show, and then probably lose their minds after the series comes to an end, and the books probably won't even be finished before the author dies. Unless he starts to expedite the series and stops taking such a long time writing each novel.

Well that goes to show how poor HBO's database is. A multi-million dollar company like them should have a well-secured system knowing that hacks and the likes are pretty much evident in our times. But to be honest, the leaks were anticipated by many people and after a few days, the hype is gone and most people don't want to listen to spoilers anyway. $250000 is just a small chump change from HBO to learn their lesson in strengthening their databases.

It's as if things like this don't happen in fiat, duh.

Yes it's sad that bitcoin and criminal activities are still associated with each other. I mentioned the HBO leaks in my latest steemit post and how it may have a bad influence of bitcoin's general image.

This is the type of news that bring a ton of mainstream attention into bitcoin. It's clear that bitcoin can be used for bad and for good, and paying ransomware is unfortunately a very common practice that im not very proud of.

But if it wasn't for that feature, the positive side effect like people in Venezuela being able to feed their families in the middle of a dictatorship, wouldn't be possible as well, because fixing one kills the other use case.

The volatibility of bitcoin could suffer with this kind of news. It may suffer a loss because this news degrade  this currency.  Unfortunately bitcoin is a treasure for hackers to go unknown after receiving their ransom.

I understand it completely. Even 3 days of spoilers is enough to cause a ton of damage in the argumentative development of the series. It's just a shame (as they say in the series) that you are going to get spoiled because of some hackers. The GoT producers are a multi million dollar operation, they can easily pay $250,000, for them that's just peanuts. HBO can afford $250,000 and avoid the disaster of any leaks.

Even if they pay, the hackers might release which would only worsen the situation. Thanks for informing us about this, crazy! Don't want to see another article in the future that's updating this though that tarnishes BTC's reputation and causes people to associate it with crime

Well, that is a given with ramsonwaring hackers. You are just assuming that they will be legit. It's a gamble where you are paying hoping to get what you want and then they stopping the treats.

The hackers wouldn't have enough time to keep raising the money because it's only 3 days until the episode airs afaik. If they try to raise the price in 3 days they would look ridiculous and HBO wouldn't pay anymore.

I read an article that HBO was waiting to be verified on Poloniex 😂 I'm just glad I'm not the only one waiting to be verified!

Once again this just proves how illegal activity/ dark web runs bitcoin!!!

Sadly, paying hackers for it, is just encouraging hackers to hack more for bitcoin. Lile with Wannacry, a lot of people paid the amount needed, but in my opinion it is just encouraging others. If people don't pay then it will no more (or less) profitable for those hackers

Very true, Anarchist. I hate to compare it to this but it's similar to paying a terroist ransom for the release of someone. It will only benefit  the world of hackers.

yes you are right it just encouraging hackers and make them rich in this way they are more powerful and they gathered other hackers and make a crew and start hacking and earn bitcoin, HBO should think about that because promoting hacking will cause trouble for them in future.

Why would they want to be paid in bitcoin? That is somehow fishy.
Are they using the name of bitcoin for bad purposes or are they doing it so that they could evade the tax when they got paid?
Hmmm.. There is really something about that which is not on the right way.
They could just say we want the hacker to pay $250,000 and that's it.

It's how all these guys get paid nowadays. It's anonymous(ish), easily laundered,
and will only go up in price. There's no benefit to trying to get a briefcase full
of fiat from them, even if the bills are small and non-sequential. But send
them some BTC, they convert to Ethereum or Dash and cash out. Boom.
Or just sit on it. It's not like it's not going to be worth more eventually.

I think that this says more about the security standards of HBO than it tells about bitcon.
The company should be able to keep its scripts save until broadcasting.
If the thieves would not take a cryptocurrency as ransom, they would most likely put the scripts online somewhere and earn from the ads.

Interesting news. May it be the reason behind the great bull run actually happening ? I do not think so, 250 000$ is a bit low, but maybe it started it ?

There is a difference between a summary and the whole script, the summary can give to you a general idea of what it is going to happen but the script is the whole thing, when we consider how popular the series is and the production costs, then I think it is fair to say that amount of money is nothing to them.

It is a big thing.... and they are losing millions when this happens :

The worldwide hit series "Game of Thrones" delivered an incredible 16.1 million viewers for the highly anticipated kick-off to

its penultimate season across all HBO platforms (including repeats and streaming and DVR).  ;)

If they can keep the script a secret, it would increase their revenue, so they will do anything to keep it away from the public. 



 

Well, it is if we look at all these things in mind on basic alone is certain that it is the right thing. But if you thought or looked at it in the right way already ascertained will get a lot of the very thing that does not match the bitcoin. Because the bitcoin, it is definitely going to give a lot of advantages for everyone in the world and if we want to strive as well as pray, already certain will provide something of a good thing. Hackers are indeed looking for the difficult gaps in see-through, but it does not mean that hackers have only bitcoin persons
 

Unless of course, the TV show is ahead of the actual books (which people read), then people will want to read the scripts. In that case, HBO might be trying to avoid a lawsuit with Mr. Martin. I'
m not 100% on the details of their agreement.

yes this problem is also fear us because of our accounts, people kept many bticoins in their wallets but only thin fear them is hackers. I think it’s a good move by HBO, because they are good at preventing their copy rights, it might reduce their fan following and decrease their income, well we don’t know much about media things so we better concern with our bitcoins.

More publicity for HBO/GoT and more publicity for Bitcoin. Win Win.

Bitcoin has been associated unfairly with other, more serious and heinous crimes all throughout its existence. And yet, the honey badger of currency keeps on keeping on and continues to keep getting stronger and stronger every day.

This latest mar on bitcoin will have no effect whatsoever on bitcoin. It may turn some few people away from bitcoin, but not enough to cause any significant damage.

It's hard decision for HBO to choose to pay ransom. Hackers will reach what they wanted and they can continue to do these bad activities. But anyway, $250 000 is not that big money for HBO, if we look how much they earn from Game of Thrones. And if hacked scripts will be released in public, losses may be much bigger.
And I don't think that this bad publicity can affect bitcoin in negative side. It just means that many bitcoins will move in to bad hands.
And it's serious warning for HBO and other companies to to protect their property better

Well indeed, the tv-show is ahead of the books at this point, but the books have been ahead of the tv-show for a much longer time.
People just don't read as much anymore, it's a very select group of people who would choose to read instead of just watching the series.

Those books have always been massive spoilers for the tv-show, but it doesn't deter people from watching.

Granted, an actual script is different from a book, but I seriously doubt that the release of the scripts would cause them to lose any fans/viewers, just my 2 cents.

They are idiots if they pay this. Dont negotiate with terrorists dammit! :-[

The script is already compromised. Far from a bug bounty, this is a ransom. this sets a dangerous precedent for caving in to these craven bastards, and there is no guarantee that they dont have additional stuff/ renege on the agreement. They should just take the hit and move on; this seems like a thing to do now among hacking groups, they did the same thing to OITNB. OITNB didnt respond, they just let it ride. As stated before, its not like people arent going to watch it anyway, LOL. They should spend that quarter mil on some much needed cyber security  ::)

well it’s just started and you are right they promote the hackers and making them strong and courage them. Right now we live in an environment where everyone want money in some way, they want to do anything for money, killing, hacking etc. and what is the best part?? The best part is they get money and that’s why they continue doing this stuff.

Yes, it is a sad thing that Bitcoin is being used by the criminals for their illegal activities but we have to consider one thing that the utility of this technology is more than the fiat currencies or any other payment system so it is but obvious that everyone would prefer it over fiat if they are willing to take the benefits of it. There is absolutely zero role of Bitcoin in this crime so blaming it is pointless in my opinion. It's like blaming the internet for stealing money through net banking.

Not that I actually care about HBO but the fact those individuals associate bitcoin with it is a call for concern because any time bitcoin comes to the news in a massive way like this, then crime is involved which give people like me a kind of restraint in even trying to expand the news concerning bitcoin which needs to be done unless the market won't grow which is something bad for every one.

Concerning the script, it would mean a lot of loss of money for HBO because considering the amount invested in the script writers aside that imagine the amount they make on box office all over the world which is very far much above the amount those people are asking for.

Using bitcoin to pay shows its potential and how useful it can be. But the bad news is that we can't trace it much. I am pretty much sure the hacker is using best ways to hide himself and to hide his digital footprints. Sooner or later he will be caught.

I'm a heavy fan of GOT , when I hear GOT leak, of course a big disappointment arises, if you guys are heavy fans of the GOT just like me, would feel the same, Hbo deserve to do such a thing

Every single day there is at least one report of sone major scam here.
It really is sad.
I forget who said it, but I will never forget someone saying Bitcoin is like the Wild, Wild West.
It truly is.
Scammers are everywhere and law enforcement is nowhere to be found.
Only the Sheriff Theymos and Cyrus, but they cannot handle all of the criminals here.
It is sad...

Yes, anonymity gives extra cover to hide and since Bitcoin gives financial ability to make transactions and exchange values without revealing identities, it is one of the favourite modes of payment for hackers. I agree that sooner or later hackers will be in the custody but till then they might expose the leaked data which might cause huge loss to HBO and associated companies. I see this very unfortunate that HBO is willing to pay ransom amount and it is sending a very wrong message that would inculcate the habit of such illegal activities.

Even if people keep watching the show there are some that may opt for another option, HBO is just a business and they are thinking about maximizing their profits and it is obvious they think these revelations may have an adverse impact on their revenue and that is why they are willing to pay so much.

Same thoughts! If this whole thing were true, HBO could have chosen to pay in BTC because hackers may have preferred it since it is not traceable. This may bring a bad association to Bitcoin but "bad publicity is still publicity". It may sound bad that Bitcoin is used in this manner, but it may bring curiosity to the public. In a sense, it will still increase the popularity of Bitcoin. If you were to assess it, it does not necessarily mean that Bitcoin is used in an illegal activity or illegal means. It will just be used by HBO as a payment method, which shows how cool and convenient Bitcoin is!

I'm a GOT fan and I think that despite the leak of the scripts, many will still choose to watch the upcoming episodes especially since I heard that this may be the last series. Perhaps HBO has done this and is willing to pay that huge amount of money just to control the publicity of the show.

I don't really think there is a point of doing it now, firstly the script has already been leaked as far as I know it's very easy to find if you search in right places. But yes its good that HBO are doing this, honestly they don't have another choice even though the leaked script won't probably affect their viewers even the leaked episodes didn't affect it much, but they still need to keep the appearance that they will do anything to avoid such leaks.

I am pretty sure the hackers are not going to reveal their identities... so let me get this straight... after HBO got hacked, they think giving anonymous hackers $250,000 will stop them from asking for more or selling the scripts elsewhere? ::)

Sorry, I would not pay a dime and next time increase your cyber security so it doesn't happen again! :P

In a way you are right but at the same time they only have that script so they only need to wait until the season is over for the hackers to lose their leverage on them, if I was HBO I will be increasing my security standards as much a possible and will use encryption in every single machine holding information that is so valuable.

I have seen 2 episodes that were leaked. And I have still watched when they were aired. If the last one was leaked to next week, I will just watch 2 times.

HBO has clearly stated that it won't pay a single penny to these persons and so that the hackers can't release their unaired episodes they themselves decided to do that, that's some strategy, right in the face of hackers. While the world looks at Bitcoin as a taboo is shame, cause these guys know, once it comes Bitcoins they can easily circulate this coins and even take Fiat, you guys are horrible for bringing shame to Bitcoin and I hope they do not pay you a single penny.

The hacker finally creates the latest trend on how to get bitcoin, but that is not a way to emulate. I am afraid, if later they start hacking wallet. Is not that scary?

But you are an exception besides how much money HBO is losing from business that may have like to promote their product while game of thrones was airing, I think they lost a lot since the business owners could always make the argument that since the episodes have been leaked then there is going to be less interest in watching the episodes from the average person.

Even if episodes are leaked, people are still paying for HBO's premium service, and will continue to do so because there is no guarantee that future episodes will also be leaked.  And this is irrelevant to people who illegally download episodes anyway, so I doubt it will really affect HBO.  They should patch the security issue and not pay the hackers. 

It's upsetting to me also that bitcoin is once again in the news being associated with criminal activity.  Of course, it's not like fiat currencies are never used for crime, but bitcoin has had one major criminal news story after another for years and people seem to associate it with underground illegal activity.

The scripts must be very valuable then, it is a kings ransom. I hope they don't pay it, what is the worst that can happen, it maybe possible that HBO isn't saying everything and there is sensitive data among the loot.

There is no doubt if HBO will not fill Hackers mouth with a handsome amount of money, they will soon release other episodes also. You see, they don't play around waste their time. HBO has once ignored their threat before but what happened, new episodes were leaked on internet. Got has bring a million dollars loss if you really look deep into the matter. However, I think they won’t release further episodes if the conditions are met.

It is scary, but taking into account the amount of money they are asking then unless you have that m amount of bitcoin you have nothing to worry as long as you are a small fish no one is going to target you directly, you just need to worry about viruses and stuff like that.

Lmao. Thats crazy, theres gonna be so many more of these ransom hackers looking for bitcoins. I think its a good way to spike the price up  ;)

It is obvious that attacks like these are not going to stop, especially if they get paid, why would they stop? However I disagree with your notion that this can make the price to spike up, all of these hacks and different viruses are bad news for bitcoin since people will keep on thinking that bitcoin is a currency for criminals.

The reputation of Bitcoin is much more important than the price getting a little bit higher, if any higher at all, because of people buying Bitcoin due to hackers or ransomware.
I don't even think those amounts have any real influence on the price. We're talking about a couple of 1000 BTC bought because of ransomware, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

People also seem to be paying less and less, here are 3 addresses of some fairly popular ransomware virusses:

https://blockchain.info/address/12t9YDPgwueZ9NyMgw519p7AA8isjr6SMw  -- Around 18 BTC
https://blockchain.info/address/13AM4VW2dhxYgXeQepoHkHSQuy6NgaEb94 -- 20 BTC
https://blockchain.info/address/115p7UMMngoj1pMvkpHijcRdfJNXj6LrLn  -- 14.5 BTC

Source: https://qz.com/982993/watch-as-these-bitcoin-wallets-receive-ransomware-payments-from-the-ongoing-cyberattack/

This is what makes people against bitcoin. HBO could say that they would pay a bounty to the ones who stole the scripts without saying bitcoins. Big guys also think that bitcoin is the best currency for the illegal market, and with this the trend will continue. And if it continues like this, people with bitcoin will all be called as doing illegal activities, because it is not so easy to give proof of funds in bitcoin. This a something that every bitcoin user, developer have to think and provide a way to stop these illegal activities.

I suppose people are doing what they should have done from the beginning, to backup their information, that way if you get a virus at most you lose a month of information, but if you do not make backups you could lose the information of year or even decades.

GOT earned alot of fans already and not just fans, die hard fans, i believe they won't lose anything from just mere scripts spreading. You can clearly see from season 6 ratings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones_(season_6) compare to season7 ratings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones_(season_7) that they increase 3million views that being said shows that people dig it whatsoever reasons they see.

You are right, but at the same time we cannot expect the media to play it fair, bitcoin is not giving them a cent unlike banks an politicians so they are going to make it look as if bitcoin is bad even if we know that is not the case, that is something we will have to deal with and overcome it.