Hacker holds Netflix to ransom, threatens to release Orange Is The New Black season 5 online

The individual claims to have already leaked the first episode of the new season on an illegal download site.

Orange is the New Black - Season 5 Date Announcement — Season 5 of Orange Is The New Black is set to release on 9 June

A hacker is reportedly attempting to arm-twist Netflix into paying a ransom to refrain from leaking the complete season 5 of its hit show Orange Is The New Black. According to the Associated Press (via Deadline), the individual using the moniker The Dark Lord claims to have got his hands on the upcoming episodes and has threatened to release them before the official release on 9 June.

In order to confirm that the person's threats were real, he/she allegedly released the first episode of the show's new season on an illegal download site. However, it has not been confirmed if the file is authentic.

The hacker has asked for an undisclosed payout to prevent sharing of the rest of the episodes and in the ransom note, mentions that the person also stole series from other studios.

"We are aware of the situation," Netflix said in a statement. "A production vendor used by several major TV studios had its security compromised and the appropriate law enforcement authorities are involved."

OITNB is a comedy drama set in Litchfield Penitentiary, a minimum-security women's federal prison and tells the story of its various inmates. Based on Orange Is The New Black: My Year In A Women's Prison (the memoirs of Piper Kerman), the show's season 4 ended with the death of a popular character and riots in the correctional facility.

Laverne Cox, one of the show's primary characters, recently told E! News that the new season would kick off with just as much chaos. "The new season of Orange Is The New Black is lit. There's prison riots... its mayhem. It manages to be funny... we're mourning. Its deep and its good and you're gonna gag," she said while attending a WE Day event.