Game of Thrones episode four leaks online

The fourth instalment of the fantasy drama's new season appeared on the internet on Friday morning in a low-quality format in a breach that appears to be separate to the hacking earlier in the week.

Thrones' Indian distribution partner, Star India, has confirmed that it is the source of the leak, releasing a statement to the Verge: "We take this breach very seriously and have immediately initiated forensic investigations at our and the technology partner’s end to swiftly determine the cause. This is a grave issue and we are taking appropriate legal remedial action.”

Game of Thrones is currently airing its seventh season and is a global sensation, breaking viewing records around the world. But HBO saw its security breached at the start of the week when hackers stole 1.5 terabytes of data, including what was claimed to be a script for episode four, plus advance episodes of shows including Ballers and Room 104.

The network said in a statement at the time: "HBO recently experienced a cyber incident, which resulted in the compromise of proprietary information.

“We immediately began investigating the incident and are working with law enforcement and outside cybersecurity firms. Data protection is a top priority at HBO, and we take seriously our responsibility to protect the data we hold.”

Episode four of Game of Thrones airs in the UK this Monday at 2am and again at 9pm on Sky Atlantic.