Leaked Email Reveals HBO Offering Hackers $250,000 As A Ransom Fee

Hackers have been busy terrorizing HBO and a new leaked email from the premium cable and satellite television network reveals that the company has offered the organization a $250,000 ransom fee for the data they've stolen from the network's servers.

Last week, reports revealed that HBO had a massive hack attack with the hackers obtaining unreleased episodes of series like Game of Thrones, Room 104, Insecure and Ballers. The organization also obtained script materials from future episodes of its television adaptation of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, as well as personal information of Game of Thrones stars Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey and Peter Dinklage.

Now in an attempt to prevent the situation from escalating further, Variety reports that the network has offered the hackers responsible for the breach a $250,000 ransom payment.

Covering up the payment as part of a program where the network rewards "white hat IT professionals" for "bringing these types of things to our attention," the letter from HBO asks the hackers to extend the full ransom-payment deadline one week longer while the company pays $250,000 and secures the amount of bitcoin required.

Seeing that $250,000 was much less than they demanded, the hackers leaked out the email to the public instead.

However, while it may seem like HBO is trying to bend over to the hacker's demands, a source close to the investigation has told the publication that the email was created to help stall time while HBO tries to assess the situation. The email also helped the company test the water, seeing whether $250,000 would be enough to appease the group and avert similar security breaches that could affect other companies.

Unfortunately it seems like the offer didn't work, because here we are reading about the email being leaked to the public. Hopefully things won't get any worse for HBO.

Read: Game of Thrones Fans Spotted Something Creepy in Season 7 Episode