Alleged Extortioner of Psychotherapy Patients Faces Trial

Finnish prosecutors opened criminal proceedings against Julius Kivimäki, accused of orchestrating the October 2020 breach of Vastaamo Psychotherapy Center that exposed thousands of patients' psychotherapy notes. The attacker (known as “Ransom Man”) attempted mass and targeted extortion by threatening to publish sensitive records and ultimately uploaded the stolen data to the dark web; investigators found a leaked home folder and other forensic links (credit card use, server logs, domains and tools) connecting Kivimäki to the intrusion and related cybercrime activities. Prosecutors presented a large body of evidence and are seeking a multi-year sentence while the trial proceeds.