Last December, several online services including PSN and XBL were shut down during a massive data breach. Lizard Squad, a semi-notorious hacking group, took responsibility for the attack, and officials have spent the past several months chasing down leads and making arrests. Well, here we are – Julius Kivimaki, a member of Lizard Squad, has been convicted of numerous crimes, ranging from harassment, fraud, and data breaches. Way to go, authorities!
Lizard Sqaud publically stated that their reasons for the attacks were two-fold; to bring attention to the group – put them on the map, so to speak, and also spread awareness about the flimsy nature of these large companies’ online defenses. Basically, they did it to show that it’s easy to do. They also dropped some authoritarian morality, claiming gamers should be spending time with their families instead of playing games.
Julius’ trial took place in Finland, and it’s unfortunate that he recieved a two-year suspended sentence. While his life is drastically altered, and his computer use will be monitored, he’s facing no actual jail time. What’s worse, one of his main victims- John Smedley, who’s plane was grounded thanks to a false bomb threat made by Julius- is no facing more grief from Lizard Squad after claiming he’d be coming after Julius. His current company, Daybreak, has suffered a DDoS attack after making his anger-fueled statements.
More information will surely follow as things continue to escalate between Julius and Smedley.