The first four episodes of Games of Thrones' fifth season surfaced online just hours ahead of the HBO hit's season premiere on Sunday night.

The episodes, which were first spotted by Reddit users on torrent track IPT, subsequently made their way to other sites and have been downloaded more than 100,000 times as of Sunday evening.

HBO has responded to the leak, noting that it "originated from within a group approved by HBO to receive them. We’re actively assessing how this breach occurred."

Interestingly, this aperture has occurred just as HBO has launched HBO Now, which allows non-cable subscribers to access its live content legally, with the goal of curbing pirating and growing its viewership. Game of Thrones is currently the most pirated show on television.