Four Indian men were arrested Monday for releasing an episode of the hit HBO show Game of Thrones days before its scheduled appearance, but the incident is apparently not related to that network's hack that has seen a cybergang releasing various pieces HBO content over the last several weeks.
The three of the four men arrested work for Prime Focus Technologies, the firm that handles data for Star India which is the company that owns the rights to the show in India, according to CNNMoney. The fourth is a former Prime Focus employee.
Season 7 episode 4 “The Spoils of War” was slated to appear on August 7, but was posted online a few days early. The version made public contained a Star India watermark, CNNMoney said.
The four men have not been connected to the on-going hack taking place at HBO that started on August 1. The hackers in this case managed to infiltrate the network's computer system and so far has posted episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ballers, Insecure and The Deuce, along with the scripts for five Game of Thrones episodes.
The hackers, identified as Mr. Smith, have demanded a $6 million payout to stop the leaks.