Aleksanteri Kivimäki

Aleksanteri Kivimäki
Born
Julius Aleksanteri Tomminpoika Kivimäki

(1997-08-22) 22 August 1997
Espoo, Finland
Other nameszeekill, ryan, Ryan, RyanC, Ryan Cleary[1]
OccupationHacker
Criminal statusConvicted, released on appeal
ConvictionsAggravated data breach, extortion, privacy violations

Aleksanteri Tomminpoika Kivimäki (formerly Julius Aleksanteri Tomminpoika Kivimäki; born 22 August 1997),[2][3] known online as zeekill, is a Finnish hacker and cybercriminal. In 2024, he was convicted for one of Finland's largest cybercrimes, the Vastaamo data breach.[4] He first gained attention as a teenager, when he was linked to the hacking collective Lizard Squad and convicted in 2015 on over 50,000 counts for computer intrusions.[5]

Kivimäki hacked into Vastaamo's database in 2018, gaining access to the treatment records of about 33,000 patients. In 2020, he demanded ransom payments from both the company and individual patients, leading to charges of over 21,000 counts of attempted aggravated extortion, nearly 9,600 counts of aggravated invasion of privacy, and 20 counts of aggravated blackmail.[6] He was arrested in February 2023 in France under a false identity and extradited to Finland.[7] In April 2024, the Western Uusimaa District Court sentenced him to six years and three months in prison.[8] He announced plans to appeal.[9]

In September 2025, the Court of Appeal released Kivimäki from prison despite upholding his conviction.[10]

A four-episode Max Original documentary series about Kivimäki, Most Wanted: Teen Hacker, premièred on HBO Max on September 5, 2025.[11][12]

Crimes

Swatting

In 2014, he made false emergency calls (swatting) targeting three American families, prompting police units to be dispatched to their homes. In the calls, he claimed there were situations involving hostages, shootings, or explosives. One of the targets was the close relatives of the FBI agent who had investigated Kivimäki.[13]

American Airlines flight

On 24 August 2014, Kivimäki managed to create a fictitious security threat on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to San Diego. He posed as a passenger on the plane using the real personal information of the passenger in question. The airline and U.S. authorities took the claim seriously: the plane was diverted to Phoenix airport, and the U.S. Air Force dispatched two fighter jets to secure the flight.[13]

Lizard Squad

See also: Lizard Squad

During his mid‑teens, Kivimäki, under the online aliases "zeekill" and "ryan", was a member of the hacking group Lizard Squad, which became famous for high‑profile DDoS attacks on gaming services such as PlayStation Network and Xbox Live during Christmas 2014. He participated in media interviews boasting about the group's exploits, but he was not jailed at the time, in part due to his age.[14]

Hack the Planet

Prior to or concurrent with his Lizard Squad activities, he was also connected with another cybercriminal group known as HTP (Hack the Planet).[15][16][17][18] In 2015, Finnish authorities charged him with operating a botnet attributed to HTP, comprising over 50,000 compromised computers. In July 2015, he pleaded guilty to 50,700 counts of aggravated computer break‑ins and related offences, receiving a suspended two‑year sentence as a minor.[14]

Vastaamo data breach

Main article: Vastaamo data breach

In 2020, Kivimäki hacked into the databases of Vastaamo, a major private psychotherapy clinic in Finland, stealing therapy session notes from roughly 33,000 patients. When the company refused his ransom demand (approximately €370,000 in bitcoin), he individually extorted patients, demanding €200–500 each to prevent publication of their records.[19]

When authorities identified Kivimäki as the one responsible for the breach, his whereabouts were unknown, and an Interpol Red Notice was issued in October 2022. In February 2023, he was arrested in Paris, France, when police were responding to a domestic disturbance call and found he was using forged identity documents and living under a fake name.[20] Kivimäki had lived a luxurious life in Saint-Tropez, in southern France, and he had a permanent residence in London, England, when he was arrested.[21] He was then extradited to Finland for trial where, in 2024, he was found guilty and sentenced to six years and three months in prison.[20] During the interrogations, Kivimäki said that he had also spent time in Kyiv, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and Barcelona, Spain, prior to his arrest.[21]

In September 2025 Kivimäki was released from custody by the Helsinki court of Appeal.[22] The court cited the long time he spent in pretrial detention as the grounds for his release.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Le pirate informatique le plus recherché de Finlande arrêté en France". Le Journal du Hack (in French). 9 February 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  2. ^ Lapinkangas, Pasi; Kaskinen, Miikka (3 February 2023). "Näin epäilty Vastaamo-hakkeri kirjoitti netissä hetki ennen kiinnijääntiään" [This is what the suspected Vastaamo hacker wrote online shortly before being caught]. Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 11 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025. Kivimäen koko nimi on Julius Aleksanteri Tomminpoika Kivimäki, mutta hän käyttää nykyään etunimenään Aleksanteria. [Kivimäki's full name is Julius Aleksanteri Tomminpoika Kivimäki, but he now uses Aleksanteri as his first name.]
  3. ^ Takala, Anna (3 November 2022). "Vastaamo-tietomurrosta epäilty suomalaishakkeri ilmestyi Europolin Most Wanted -listalle" [The Finnish hacker suspected of the Vastaamo data breach appeared on Europol's Most Wanted list]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 11 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025. Tuoreissa vangitsemistiedoissa hänen nimekseen mainitaan Aleksanteri Tomminpoika Kivimäki. Väestörekisterin mukaan Julius ei ole enää hänen virallinen etunimensä. [In the recent detention records, his name is listed as Aleksanteri Tomminpoika Kivimäki. According to the population register, Julius is no longer his official first name.]
  4. ^ Tidy, Joe (4 May 2024). "Zeekill: from teenage cyber thug to Europe's Most Wanted". bbc.com. BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  5. ^ "Lizard Squad hacker convicted on 50,000 hacking charges". The Daily Dot. 7 July 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Vastaamo-hakkeri Aleksanteri Kivimäki tuomittiin kuudeksi vuodeksi vankeuteen". Yle. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Man accused of Finland psychotherapy hack charged with 21,000 counts of extortion". The Guardian. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  8. ^ "Vastaamo-hakkeri Aleksanteri Kivimäki tuomittiin kuudeksi vuodeksi vankeuteen". Yle. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  9. ^ "Vastaamo-hakkeri kiistää syyllisyytensä ja aikoo valittaa tuomiosta". Yle. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Aleksanteri Kivimäki vapautettiin hovioikeuden päätöksellä". Iltalehti (in Finnish). 11 September 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  11. ^ Nelson, Keith Jr (6 June 2025). "The Teen Who Hacked Elon Musk And PlayStation Network Is Getting A Docuseries". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 8 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  12. ^ Kaur, Tashleen (2025-08-25). "Most Wanted: Teen Hacker: Release Date, Cast and Characters, Where to Watch and more". PrimeTimer. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  13. ^ a b Alanne, Joonas (28 October 2022). "Tällainen on Julius Kivimäki, jota epäillään Vastaamon tietomurrosta" [This is Julius Kivimäki, who is suspected of the Vastaamo data breach]. Iltalehti (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  14. ^ a b Jowitt, Tom (10 July 2015). "Lizard Squad Hacker Avoids Jail Despite 50,000 Attacks". Silicon UK. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  15. ^ "Hack The Planet (HTP) Zine 5". Exploit Database. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Hack The Planet - IN COMMONLY USED PASSWORDS WE TRUST". straylig.ht. Archived from the original on 7 May 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  17. ^ "Author: Hack The Planet (HTP)". www.exploit-db.com - OffSec’s Exploit Database Archive. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  18. ^ "Author: Ac1dB1tch3z". www.exploit-db.com - OffSec’s Exploit Database Archive. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  19. ^ Kleinman, Zoe (26 October 2020). "Therapy patients blackmailed for cash after clinic data breach". Archived from the original on 9 July 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  20. ^ a b "Who is Aleksanteri 'Julius' Kivimäki, Europe's most wanted who started out as a teenage cyber thug?". Firstpost. 6 May 2024. Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  21. ^ a b Alanne, Joonas; Järveläinen, Ville (3 November 2023). "Tällaista ökyelämää Aleksanteri Kivimäki vietti – Erikoinen tapa säilyttää rahaa" [This is the kind of lavish life Aleksanteri Kivimäki led – An unusual way to store money]. Iltalehti (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 11 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  22. ^ a b "Kivimäki walks free during appeal over Vastaamo data breach". Helsinki Times. 2025-09-11. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
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