HBO offers $250,000 as ‘bounty payment’ to hackers: Variety

The hackers behind HBO’s recent data breach have leaked an email in which the US cable channel offered them $250,000 as a “bounty payment,” Hollywood trade paper Variety reported on Thursday. The message from HBO, the Time Warner cable unit that broadcasts “Game of Thrones,” offers the money as part of a program in which “white-hat professionals” are rewarded for identifying cyber security flaws, the Variety report said.  bit.ly/2uMrMDzThe email was worded in a way that would allow HBO to stall for time while it assessed the situation, Variety reported, citing a source close to investigation. Company also requested the hackers to extend a ransom payment deadline by one week, Variety said. The Guardian and other publications reported earlier this week that hackers had posted some stolen files online, demanding a bitcoin ransom to prevent additional releases. HBO did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The hack has come at a sensitive time for the Company, whose parent Time Warner is awaiting regulatory approval to sell itself to AT&T Inc (T.N) in an $85.4 billion deal announced in October.