Notorious Hacker Jailed for Blackmailing Therapy Patients
A cyber criminal, Julius Kivimäki, has been sentenced to six years and three months in prison for blackmailing 33,000 therapy patients by using their stolen session notes. This marks the end of an 11-year cyber-crime spree that began when he joined teenage hacking groups at the age of 13.
Victims’ Stories
One of the victims, Tiina, received an email containing her personal information obtained from a psychotherapy center where she was a patient. The blackmailer threatened to publish two years’ worth of intimate therapy session records unless a ransom was paid within 24 hours. Tiina described the experience as invasive and traumatic.
Unfortunately, Tiina was not alone. A total of 33,000 therapy patients had their records stolen, making it the largest criminal case in Finland. The stolen database contained sensitive information ranging from personal secrets to confessions of crimes, affecting a wide range of individuals, including children.
Impact and Aftermath
The cyber-attack sent shockwaves through Finland, with news of the incident dominating headlines for days. Mikko Hyppönen, a cybersecurity expert, emphasized the widespread impact of the breach, stating that virtually everyone in the country knew someone affected by it.
During the pandemic lockdowns of 2020, the case garnered significant attention, highlighting the vulnerability of personal data in the digital age. The repercussions were severe, with reports of individuals taking their own lives after their private records were exposed online.
The blackmailer, known as “ransom_man,” demanded payment from victims, causing widespread fear and distress among those affected. The incident underscored the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive information and prevent such breaches in the future.
€200 Euros (£171) within 24 hours otherwise he would publish their information. If they didn’t meet that deadline he increased it to €500.
About 20 people paid before the victims realized it was already too late. Their information was already published the day before when ransom_man accidentally leaked the entire database to a forum on the darknet.
It is all still there today.
Mikko and his team spent time tracking the hack and trying to help police, and theories began to emerge that the hacker was likely to be from Finland.
One of the largest police investigations in the country’s history closed in on one young Finn who was already infamous in the cyber-crime world.
Zeekill crime spree
Kivimäki, who called himself Zeekill as a teenage hacker, did not become the notorious figure he is by being careful.
As a teenager he was all about hacking, extorting and bragging as loudly as he could. Alongside hacker teams Lizard Squad and Hack the Planet he reveled in causing chaos in the extremely active teen hacking period of the 2010s.
Kivimäki was a key player, carrying out dozens of high-profile attacks until, aged 17, he was arrested in 2014 and subsequently found guilty of 50,700 hacking offenses.
Controversially he was not jailed. His two-year suspended prison sentence was criticized by many in the cyber-security world. Even for Finland’s famously lenient sentences, the fear was that Kivimäki and his accomplices – mostly other teenagers dispersed around the English-speaking world – would not be deterred.
Like many of his peers during this tumultuous time, Kivimäki did not seem to let police run-ins stop him. After his arrest, and before his sentence, he carried out one of the most audacious attacks of any teenage hacking gang.
He and Lizard Squad took the two largest gaming platforms offline on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Playstation Network and Xbox Live went down after the services were hit with an unsophisticated but powerful technique known as a Distributed Denial of Service attack. Tens of millions of gamers were unable to download games, register new consoles or play with their friends online.
Red Notice Issued
It took Finnish police nearly two years to gather evidence to issue an Interpol Red Notice for him and he became one of Europe’s most wanted criminals. But no-one knew where the now 25-year-old was.
He was tracked down by mistake last February when police in Paris went to his apartment after getting a false domestic disturbance call. They found Kivimäki had been living with forged identity documents under a fake name.
He was swiftly extradited to Finland where police began preparing for one of the most high-profile trials in the country’s history.
The Landmark Case of Kivimäki: A Detailed Account
Det Ch Supt Marko Leponen spearheaded the extensive three-year investigation, describing it as the most significant of his career. He mentioned, “At one point, we had over 200 officers dedicated to this case, delving into numerous victim statements and narratives.”
Kivimäki’s trial captured national attention, with reporters present daily and international media covering his testimony.
During the initial day of his testimony, Kivimäki maintained his innocence with composure, occasionally lightening the atmosphere with jokes in the courtroom.
Despite his demeanor, the evidence against him was compelling.
Det Leponen emphasized the importance of linking Kivimäki’s bank account to the server used for downloading the stolen data.
Furthermore, his team utilized innovative forensic methods to extract Kivimäki’s fingerprint from an ostensibly anonymous image he shared under an online alias.
Evidence and Verdict
The conclusive verdict found Kivimäki guilty on all charges. The court determined him responsible for over 30,000 offenses, each corresponding to a victim. These included aggravated data breach, attempted aggravated blackmail, dissemination of private information, and various blackmail charges.
He received a sentence of six years and three months, nearing the maximum seven-year term. However, considering time served and Finnish judicial practices, he may serve only half of the sentence.
Victims’ Perspectives
For individuals like Tiina, the sentence falls short of expectations. The impact on 33,000 victims has been profound, affecting their well-being and exposing them to financial fraud using the stolen data.
Victims await potential compensation, with some opting for civil suits against Kivimäki or Vastaamo, the now-defunct psychotherapy firm. The company’s founder received a suspended sentence for data negligence.
Kivimäki’s undisclosed bitcoin holdings and forgotten digital wallet details add complexity to the case, prolonging the pursuit of justice for victims.
Legal Implications and Future Considerations
Ms Raisko anticipates state intervention in the compensation process, acknowledging the extensive time required to evaluate individual harm caused by the breach.
Calls for legislative amendments to address future large-scale cyber incidents like this underscore the unprecedented nature of the case in Finland.
The Importance of Cybersecurity in the Wake of the Vastaamo Hack
In light of the recent Vastaamo hack, it has become increasingly evident that the need for robust cybersecurity measures is more critical than ever before. The breach exposed a significant number of victims to potential harm, highlighting the importance of being prepared for such large-scale incidents.
Enhanced Preparedness
The Vastaamo hack serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities that exist in our digital infrastructure. It is imperative that organizations and individuals alike take proactive steps to enhance their cybersecurity preparedness. This includes implementing robust security protocols, regularly updating software, and conducting thorough risk assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities.
Continuous Vigilance
While the aftermath of the Vastaamo hack may be unsettling, it is crucial to remain vigilant in the face of evolving cyber threats. Cybercriminals are constantly adapting their tactics to exploit weaknesses in security systems, making it essential for organizations to stay one step ahead by investing in advanced cybersecurity solutions.
Collaborative Efforts
Addressing cybersecurity challenges requires a collaborative effort from all stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector organizations, and individual users. By sharing information and best practices, we can collectively strengthen our defenses against cyber threats and mitigate the risk of future breaches.
Looking Ahead
As we reflect on the lessons learned from the Vastaamo hack, it is clear that cybersecurity must remain a top priority for all organizations. By taking proactive measures to enhance security measures and foster a culture of cyber resilience, we can better protect ourselves and our data from malicious actors.
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From Teenage Cyber Thug to Europe’s Most Wanted: The Rise of Zeekill
Vietnam Faces Record High Temperatures in April: Climate Data Revealed
Vietnam’s National Hydro-Meteorological Forecast Center released climate data for April. It was found that many areas of the country are facing record temperature levels. It is the result of severe heat waves that spread across South and South East Asia.
The data, obtained from 102 climate monitoring stations, found that temperatures at many stations rose to an all-time high in April. And there were at least 7 stations where the temperature was above 43 degrees Celsius.
The northern and central regions of Vietnam are facing severe heat waves. As a result, the average temperature increased by 2-4 degrees Celsius compared to the same period last year.
The highest temperature recorded across the country was 44 degrees Celsius, slightly lower than the 44.2 degrees Celsius recorded last May.
Vietnam Meteorological Office The weather in Vietnam is expected to become even hotter during the month of May. It is expected that the temperature will be 1.5-2.5 degrees Celsius higher than last year.
The weather is extremely hot because of the heat wave. He has covered Asia from India to the Philippines in recent weeks. As a result, many people died of heat stroke. While some areas have had to close schools.
One of the images reflects the effects of the intense heat wave. is a picture of hundreds of thousands of fish that died in the Song May Reservoir. in South Vietnam’s Dong Nai province This is a result of drought and very hot weather. along with water mismanagement
Photo: STR / AFP
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Vietnam Faces Record High Temperatures in April: Climate Data Revealed
The British Conservatives swept the local elections
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Thursday they were held elections to renew around a hundred city councils in England, the most populous of the United Kingdom nations. The counting in almost all the cities began on Friday evening and ended in the early hours of Saturday with a very clear result: the Conservative Party, which has controlled the national government for almost fifteen years, did very badly, losing approximately 450 seats of councilors compared to the previous elections (in total there were votes for around 2,600 seats).
Some experts they have already defined it one of the worst electoral defeats of the last 40 years for the party. The defeat took on huge dimensions also because in the previous local elections of these cities, held in 2021, the Conservatives had won by a landslide. In this round, however, Labor, the main opposition party, did very well, gaining 173 seats compared to the previous elections and obtaining the election of around a thousand councilors out of 2,600.
The result reflects what national polls have been indicating for months, that is, an increasingly reduced consensus for the Conservatives and a much higher consensus for the Labor Party, at levels not seen for fifteen years. Sunak has not yet officially commented on the results, while the secretary of the Labor party, Keir Starmer, said that “the message to Rishi Sunak is clear: it is time for change”. The elections held on Friday were the last before those to renew the British parliament, which Sunak’s government must organize by January 2025.
The result that political commentators are talking about most is that of Blackpool South, where a by-election was held for the parliamentary seat left vacant by the resignation of Conservative Scott Benton, who was involved in a judicial matter. Labor candidate Chris Webb obtained 58.9 percent of the vote, about forty percentage points more than Conservative candidate David Jones. Benton was elected in 2019 with 49.6 of the votes: in short, in the space of five years in the Blackpool South constituency the Conservatives lost two thirds of their votes.
More generally, Labor has done very well both in the northern areas of England, where in recent years their historic electorate had voted in favor of Brexit and then moved towards the Conservatives, and in some southern towns which have always voted to the right . However, it seems that they fared worse than expected in some areas where the Muslim community is larger: some analysts they are relating this result to the position taken by the party on the war in the Gaza Strip, which especially in the first weeks of the Israeli invasion was closer to Israel than in the recent past (in previous secretariats the Labor Party was repeatedly accused of harboring anti-Semitic positions). Support for Israel was one of several issues on which Starmer moved the party’s position more towards the centre.
The results of some large cities, including London, will be tallied and announced on Saturday: currently the Conservatives they elected a total of 479 municipal councillorsa number lower even than those obtained by the centrist Liberal Democratic Party, 505. Before these elections the Conservatives controlled 15 municipal councils out of the approximately 100 that went to vote: after these elections they retained control of just five (Labour instead they controlled 40 and reached 48).
The scale of the Conservatives’ defeat could further weaken Sunak’s position, already in great difficulty in recent months due to the increase in the cost of living and mortgages, economic stagnation and the public health crisis. During the election campaign, Sunak focused heavily on the effect of the approval of the law on the expulsion of asylum seekers in Rwanda: at the moment, however, it does not seem that the approval has counted for much.
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