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Israeli hacker arrested for giving away end of the plot in hit series

A man was arrested for hacking and leaking the final episode of HBO’s “House of the Dragon.”

By Pesach Benson, TPS

A man from the central Israeli town of Givatayim was arrested on Monday for hacking into HBO servers and leaking the highly anticipated final episode of the hit series, “House of the Dragon.” The arrest followed an extensive months-long undercover investigation by the Police’s cyber unit.

“House of the Dragon” is the continuation of the iconic “Game of Thrones” saga.

The investigation was initiated after HBO lodged a complaint regarding a suspected breach into the satellite company’s servers. The hacker had illicitly obtained the confidential season finale episode and distributed it to various pirate websites. The episode was apparently leaked two days before the season finale, which aired in October.

A search of the suspect’s residence was conducted, resulting in the seizure of various digital storage devices and computers. All the evidence collected during the investigation will now be presented to the prosecutor’s office for further evaluation and a decision on potential charges.

According to the police, an anonymous user on one of the social media sites, as well a specific file were both named “Bird,” which later turned out to be the name of the suspect’s cat.

Despite the leak, 9.3 million viewers watched the episode, according to HBO.

Entertainment industry reports suggest that the second season will be aired in 2024.