The Vastaamo hack was the worst knowledge breach in Finnish historical past.
Psychotherapy clinic Vastaamo discovered itself the sufferer of an extortionist who hacked its programs and stole extremely delicate affected person notes.
The hack and the following extortion of each the corporate and tens of hundreds of its sufferers brought on monumental ripples: together with the firing and sentencing of the agency’s CEO, the corporate’s chapter, and the reported suicide of some sufferers.
Julius Kivimäki, who years earlier than had been convicted in relation to the Lizard Squad hacking gang’s takedown of the PlayStation Community and Xbox Dwell over the Christmas holidays, was in the end jailed in 2024 for the breach and the blackmail of Vastaamo and its sufferers.
However now there have been developments within the case.
Not solely has Julius Kivimäki been launched for jail, pending an enchantment which – if profitable – may determine he has spent too lengthy in jail and open the chance for him to assert compensation, but additionally somebody new has been charged in relation to the 2018 hack of Vastaamo.
28-year-old Daniel Lee Newhard, an American citizen dwelling in Estonia, has been charged by Finnish prosecutors aiding and abetting the extortion of psychotherapy sufferers, who obtained calls for for a cryptocurrency cost in trade for his or her medical information not being leaked on-line.
In response to stories, IP logs allegedly linked the server to an web connection in Estonia, and led investigators to the suspect’s dwelling deal with.
Newhard denies the fees in opposition to him.
