HBO Offers Hackers $250,000 as 'Show Of Good Faith' on $6 Million Ransom Request

HBO offered to pay cyber attackers $250,000 on a $6 million ransom demand, but the attackers failed to rise to the bait, according to a Reuters report.

The entertainment giant, as part of a stalling tactic, sent an email to the attackers asking them to delay the release of its proprietary content by one week, according to Reuters. The attackers, however, dumped 3.4GB of HBO data days after the entertainment titan sent its offer via email.

The July 27 email, according to Reuters, stated: "You have the advantage of having surprised us…In the spirit of professional corporation, we are asking you to extend your deadline for one week."

Previously, the attackers gave HBO three days from the time of receiving the ransom demand to pay up. A source told Reuters that HBO never intended to pay the $250,000 partial payment, nor the $6 million ransom request, and that the entertainment giant was only making the offer as a stalling tactic. The attackers reportedly stole 1.5TB of HBO's data, which includes copies of unreleased episodes of its popular shows like Game of Thrones, network administrator passwords, and emails belonging to its CEO Richard Plepler.

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