An "Orange Is the New Black" hacker claims to have released pirated episodes of the Netflix series after the network failed to pay a “ransom” to stop the leak. Several major TV studios apparently face similar threats.
The hacker, who goes by the name "thedarkoverlord," claimed releasing episodes 2-10 of season 5 of the series on Saturday, reported USA Today.
"With this information in mind (and the fact that leaving people on cliffhangers isn't fun) we've decided to release episodes 2-10 of 'Orange Is The New Black' Season 5 after many lengthy discussions at the office where alcohol was present," the hacker said online, according to NBC News.
"We were so early when we acquired the copies that post [production] hadn't gotten around to episodes 11-13."
The hacker provided links to a file-sharing link where the leaked episodes in their entirety could be downloaded.
Netflix was set to officially release the fifth season in early June.
"You're going to lose a lot more money in all of this than what our modest offer was," the hacker told Netflix, USA Today noted.
"There's still time to save yourselves," the hacker wrote, referring to other networks. "Our offer(s) are still on the table – for now."
Netflix issued a statement regarding the matter.
"We are aware of the situation. A production vendor used by several major TV studios had its security compromised and the appropriate law enforcement authorities are involved." the statement said.
Although sources couldn't confirm that the leaked episodes were authentic, Twitter seems to think they were.