Finnish hacker Julius Kivimaki, also known by the alias Aleksanteri Kivimäki, has been convicted to a prison term exceeding six years for a significant data breach at Finland's largest psychotherapy provider, Vastaamo.

Kivimaki engaged in cyber extortion by threatening to release sensitive therapy notes of 33,000 clients unless a ransom was paid, both to the clinic and its clients directly.

His affiliation with notorious hacker groups such as Hack the Planet and Lizard Squad is noted, underscoring his history of cyber offenses, with prior convictions in Finland and the US.

Despite the severity of his crimes, Kivimaki's sentence is effectively halved as he is recognized as a first-time offender under Finnish law.

The breach also led to legal repercussions for Vastaamo's former CEO, Ville Tapio, who received a suspended sentence, while the company itself went bankrupt in 2021.

Kivimaki maintains his innocence and plans to appeal the sentence, although prosecutors had sought an even harsher penalty of seven years.