Finnish hacker Aleksanteri Kivimäki, known as 'Julius', has been sentenced to over six years in prison for a major data breach.

Kivimäki was convicted of aggravated data breach, thousands of counts of aggravated blackmail, and disseminating private information.

He illegally accessed the Vastaamo psychotherapy center's database, impacting around 33,000 clients, and attempted to extort the center and its patients.

The hacker has a prior record of cybercrimes, including high-profile breaches involving the U.S. Air Force and Sony Online Entertainment.

His latest cyber attack significantly contributed to an increase in Finland's crime statistics and resulted in over 5,000 compensation claims.

The rise in healthcare data breaches globally is highlighted by the 40 million individuals affected in the US in 2021.

Kivimäki, who denied all charges, received a lesser sentence than the maximum sought by prosecutors and is expected to appeal.