Dive Brief:
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HBO is working to understand the extent of the hack revealed earlier this week, launching a forensic review of its computer systems to audit what was potentially impacted, Reuters reports.
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First reported by Entertainment Weekly Monday, hackers claimed they took 1.5 terabytes of data from HBO, including yet-unreleased episodes of "Ballers" and "Room 104." Written material from "Game of Thrones" was also accessed, according to the report.
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Thus far, only an estimated 300 megabytes has been released, according to The Washington Post. Hackers plan to release additional content every Sunday, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Dive Insight:
Experts immediately jumped to comparisons to the 2014 Sony hack when details of the hack against HBO surfaced. But the scale of the HBO attack is currently smaller as hackers stole 100 terabytes of data during the Sony hack, including company communication. The revelations from the Sony correspondence embarrassed many ranking individuals and led to leadership shakeups.
Right now, HBO is trying to find whether or not hackers accessed company communications, according to The Washington Post.
The Sony hack was the first of its kind, referred to many experts as a turning point in how a cyberattack can impact a company and illustrated the rise of nation state attacks. The hack also cost the company an estimated $35 million in IT repairs. It also highlighted the lack of preparedness from companies in the modern era of computing.
Robust cybersecurity practices are certainly mandatory, but Hollywood studios will remain a target because of how high profile they are. If a hacker can boast about possessing the newest "Orange is the New Black" episodes, it would help them gain a reputation.
Are cyberattacks avoidable? No, but companies can prepare contingency measures and plan out their response.
