Game of Thrones Twitter account hacked as HBO’s social media taken over

It's not thought that any important information was lost – unlike other recent attacks

HBO has been hacked. Again.

This time around, no important files appear to have been stolen. Instead, hackers broke into a range of Twitter accounts – including the official one for Game of Thrones – and posted messages on them.

But it comes after a couple of weeks that have seen hackers apparently break into HBO's most private files, stealing unreleased episodes of the hit show as well as others, and getting hold of the personal messages of its executives. In all, hackers claim to have stolen 1.5TB of data, including Game of Thrones scripts and unbroadcasted episodes.

Hackers got hold of both the Twitter and Facebook accounts of Game of Thrones – which are followed by tens of millions of people – as well as HBO's account and others. They posted messages that encouraged people to "make #HBOHacked trending".

They didn't appear to post or find any damaging or secret information. The updates were removed very shortly after they were put up, though not without receiving reactions and shares from thousands of people.

A hacking group called OurMine claimed to have taken over the account, posting a message reading "we are just testing your security", and asking HBO's team to get in touch.

That same collective has taken over acounts including Netflix and Mark Zuckerberg's account. They appear to do so as a way of advertising their business, which they say will help companies strengthen their security and avoid such hacks in the future.

As well as the various cyber security problems, HBO has apparently had trouble keeping unreleased Game of Thrones episodes before they were seen. One episode appears to have made it out into public from streaming company in India, and another was accidentally broadcased on HBO's Spanish and Nordic streaming platforms, and was found and copied onto the internet.