Disney CEO: Hacker threat over stolen movie was a hoax
Disney CEO Bob Iger has confirmed the company did receive a threat that hackers had stolen one of their films, but never paid the ransom believing it to be a hoax
Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed the company received a threat from a group of hackers who claimed to have stolen one of their films. But the studio now says they believe it was a hoax.
"We had a threat of a hack of a movie being stolen," Iger told Yahoo Finance. "We decided to take it seriously but not react in the manner in which the person who was threatening us had required."0
He added, "We don't believe that it was real and nothing has happened."
Iger did not say what film the hackers claimed to have, but according to multiple media reports the film was "Pirates of the Caribbean."
According to a Deadline report from May 15, the hackers demanded a Bitcoin loot or they would release the film online before its May 26 premiere date.
The Hollywood Reporter said at the time that Disney refused to pay the ransom and had been working with the FBI.
A similar incident happened weeks ago when hackers stole the new season of Netlifx's "Orange is the New Black" but the online streaming service refused to pay.
The "Pirates of the Caribbean" series has earned Disney more than $3.72 billion worldwide since the release of its first film in 2003. The new film "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" had a $230 million budget.
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