Winter is coming for the hacker involved in one of the most publicized computer hacks of 2017. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York named Iranian citizen Behzad Mesri responsible for the HBO hack that resulted in valuable data being stolen from the cable network, including full episodes, and plot information for an unaired Game of Thrones episode.

According to the indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s office, Mesri allegedly hacked into HBO’s computer servers to access the data by compromising multiple user accounts associated with HBO employees and other “authorized users.” Mesri allegedly stole unaired episodes of HBO series The Deuce, Room 104, Ballers, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. The indictment states, days after the hack, HBO received an anonymous email from the hacker threatening to wipe “80 terabyte hard drives.”

Mesri reportedly attempted to extort HBO for $6 million in Bitcoin. Days after the hack took place, the hacker released a message sent by HBO offering the anonymous hacker a $250,000 “bounty payment,” which HBO used as a stall tactic to determine the severity of the situation.

The indictment alleges Mesri was a member of Iran-based hacking group called the Turk Black Hat Security team and used the online hacker alias Skote Vahshat. The indictment also alleges he has worked with the Iranian military to “conduct computer network attacks.” The networks Mesri allegedly helped attack nuclear software systems, Israeli infrastructure, and military systems.

Mesri gaining access to HBO’s servers via compromised employee accounts falls in line with a popular theory about how the hack went down. A cybersecurity professional told Digital Trends in August the hack was possibly done thanks to HBO storing the stolen data using old software, or a senior executive at HBO having his personal information stolen by the hacker.

In August, law enforcement in India arrested four individuals involved in leaking the fourth episode of Game of Thrones‘ seventh season to piracy sites weeks prior to the group’s arrest. The four individuals were either current or former employees of Prime Focus Technologies, a data management vendor for Star India, HBO’s pay-TV distribution partner in India.

Mesri is charged with three counts of computer fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count identity theft.

Related Posts

The House of the Dragon season 3 final trailer just spoiled its most anticipated moment

The outcome of the much-anticipated Battle of the Gullet, the centerpiece naval clash that opens the season, is effectively out in the open. Rhaenyra Targaryen wins the battle and takes over King's Landing. For fans of George R.R. Martin's source material, Fire and Blood, this was inevitable. For everyone else, it is a bittersweet spoiler they might have preferred to discover on screen themselves, though the closing moments of season 2 made this development all but unavoidable.

Hulu app is about to die and you might soon see its catalog appear on Disney+

The reports claims that the unified experience is expected to be finished by the end of the year, based on a leaked internal document and two streaming employees. However, Disney told Business Insider that there are "no current plans to sunset" the standalone Hulu app.

You can make the Ghostface do whatever you want on this Scary Movie website

Turns out Ghostface takes orders really well and fans cannot get enough