Cybercriminals have reportedly stolen Walt Disney’s
upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean film, and are threatening to release it
online if their ransom demands are not met.
CEO Bob Iger reportedly broke the news to ABC employees, adding that chunks
of the new film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, will be put
into the public domain unless the cybercriminals are paid using the digital
currency bitcoin.
According to Iger, the extortionists have
threatened to firstly release five minutes of the film, and then 20-minute
segments unless the ransom is paid.
He added that Disney has refused to adhere to the
demands, and is instead working with federal investigators.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,
the fifth instalment in the film franchise, is set for an official release on
May 25th.
The Pirates series has been a significant
moneymaker for Disney, and the studio will subsequently be concerned at the
potential for this incident to harm takings at the box office.
Disney itself is a lucrative target for
cybercriminals due to its substantial presence in cinemas and theatres all over
the world, achieved mainly through its core filmmaking studio, as well as
Marvel studios and Lucasfilm, with the latter responsible for the historic Star
Wars franchise.
According to The Verge, there is no evidence to suggest that
hackers have actually taken the film, but previous incidents suggest that
Hollywood is indeed emerging as a target for cybercriminals.
Last month saw a cybercriminal claim to release the new series
of hit Netflix series ‘Orange is the New Black’ onto the internet, after the
company refused to pay an undisclosed ransom.
The individual, using the moniker
‘thedarkoverlord’, also claimed to have stolen shows belonging to other
broadcasters including Fox, National Geographic, and ABC.
In a statement, Netflix said it was “aware of the
situation”, adding “a production vendor used by several major TV studios had
its security compromised and the appropriate law enforcement authorities are
involved”.