The highly anticipated fourth season of the popular Netflix series 'House of Cards' has been leaked online, sending shockwaves throughout the entertainment industry and fans alike.

According to reports, several episodes from Season 4 have surfaced on various file-sharing websites in high definition (HD) quality. The leak appears to be a complete set, including all 13 episodes that were scheduled for release over several weeks starting February 26th.

While Netflix has yet to comment officially on the matter, sources close to production confirm that efforts are being made 'around-the-clock' both internally and with external partners to mitigate further damage. The studio responsible for distributing 'House of Cards,' Sony Pictures Television, declined requests for statement when reached by Deadline earlier today.

The leak comes at a particularly sensitive time given recent cyberattacks targeting major media companies such as Sony itself last year which resulted in millions being stolen along side highly classified information about upcoming projects including movie scripts and unreleased footage from other studios' catalogs. It remains to be seen how severe an impact this latest breach will have on viewership figures for Season 4, especially considering 'House of Cards' has consistently been one of Netflix's most popular original series so far.

Meanwhile, fans are advised to exercise caution when searching online as numerous fake links and bootleg versions claiming to offer early access may be circulating. The official release date for new episodes remains unchanged - every Friday at 12:01 AM ET/9:00 PM PT on the streaming giant's platform only.

House of cards season 4 leak