Last month, the premium cable company, HBO, suffered a damaging breach to their data storage through the work of an unknown number of hackers. The hack was primarily focused on the globally popular show, Game of Thrones. According to info from the website, theguardian.com, the hackers were able to obtain 1.5 terabytes of data (the same amount of data contained in millions of documents), as well as scripts for unaired episodes in the television show’s new season, simply in a single day. From further breaches, the hackers also obtained data much more problematic than only episode scripts.

    According to a statement revealed from the website, theverge.com, “The Verge understands that one document includes a list of personal phone numbers, home addresses, and email addresses for all of the season 7 Game of Thrones actors including Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, and Emilia Clarke.” If information breaches similar to this can occur in a state like New York (the company’s location), with devastating consequences, then the students and staff here at Noblesville High School need to stay alert for any serious threats concerning their personal security.

    Marc Slain, a Spanish teacher at NHS, offered some advice about how students here at NHS can better protect their security. “Just be aware of how information comes to you, and be smart about responding to emails and phishing schemes,” Slain mentioned. Phishing is the attempt to obtain a person’s important information, such as any usernames, passwords, or credit card data, for inappropriate reasons through disguising a trustworthy source on a website or other media.

     Although HBO is a secure company, if a strong company security system like that can be infiltrated and have a large amount of crucial data retrieved, a person’s private and personal information could be stolen in a way as simple as turning a key in a lock.

    One common method in which someone’s private information can be infiltrated is through certain advertisements on the internet. Some advertisements on websites that offer a sudden reward or benefit to viewers are only a deception so that hackers can have easier access to the person’s personal information. Today’s electronic society has become a breeding ground for informational hacking, and people have yet to find a solution for this epidemic.

    As for current activity with the hacks, the FBI is aiding HBO in their investigation. Several hackers are still continuing to breach the company, and HBO is still suffering injuries as a result. According to variety.com, a notorious hacking group took control of the company’s Twitter and Facebook accounts on Wednesday night. The group responsible call themselves Ourmine, and are a group separate from the primary hackers. The number of security breaches is currently increasing as the ongoing investigation into the cyberattacks continues.