Home Gaming Hacker responsible for PSN and Xbox Live Christmas downtime given legal slap on the wrist

Hacker responsible for PSN and Xbox Live Christmas downtime given legal slap on the wrist

1 min read
53

LastChristmas

You probably don’t know the name Julius “zeekill” Kivimaki, but you’re probably aware of what he and two others are responsible for – especially if you got a shiny new console for Christmas and were unable to use them properly thanks to both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live being a shambles at the end of last year. He’s the chap who’s largely responsible for bringing the networks down, though a series of denial of service attacks.

He’s now been convicted of the attack, and you’d imagine that the 17 year old Lizard Squad “hacker” is in a world of trouble – especially considering he’s got 50, 700 cases against him.

Nope. (via Daily Dot)

Charges against Kivimaki included data breaches, felony payment fraud, telecommunication harassments, and other counts relate to fraud and violations of company secrets. He was also a known swatter, wasting time and money by getting teams of armed and armoured law enforcement agents to show up at people’s houses.

He’s been giving what’s essentially a slap on the wrist.

Julius “zeekill” Kivimaki, was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence and has been “ordered to fight against cybercrime,” by the Finnish legal system.

One of the people personally slighted by Kivimaki isn’t impressed with the light ruling, which sees the offending teen skip out on a prison term.

“I’ve lost complete faith in the justice system, and that includes the FBI. He’s harmed American targets and the FBI should have stepped in by now,” says Blair Strater, a victim of Kivimaki’s harassment. “The reality is, Julius Kivimaki will never be made to pay for his crimes.”

On the one hand, I’m glad that the Finnish justice system isn’t trying him as an adult and just throwing the kid in to a prison, giving him the opportunity to learn from his mistakes. On the other, the punishment seems a little too lenient.

Last Updated: July 8, 2015

53 Comments

  1. RinceThis

    July 8, 2015 at 12:37

    Way too lenient. One thing crashing servers etc, but having SWAT crash into your house could easily escalate to bodily harm, or god forbid, accidental death. These SWATTERS should have the full book thrown at them. Not let off with cuddles.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief's Adventure

      July 8, 2015 at 13:00

      Full book? No, more like the whole encyclopedia set!

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        July 8, 2015 at 13:03

        And the book case

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief's Adventure

          July 8, 2015 at 13:13

          And the shipping container it came in

          Reply

          • Hammersteyn

            July 8, 2015 at 13:37

            Bwahaha

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            July 8, 2015 at 13:39

            Use the whole ship…

          • Admiral Chief's Adventure

            July 8, 2015 at 14:04

            Or use the ship shipping ship, that ships shipping ships

            http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2ShjJW85S7E/maxresdefault.jpg

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    July 8, 2015 at 12:43

    Wow. That’s a real deterrent for those unlikely to be caught doing similar things. People have gotten harsher sentences for downloading a movie.

    Reply

    • RinceThis

      July 8, 2015 at 12:44

      Yeah but those other people are evil!

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        July 8, 2015 at 12:49

        Reply

  3. Hammersteyn

    July 8, 2015 at 12:51

    Fuck you Ryan, if I want to play on Christmas, New Years or even Armageddon it’s my damn business

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      July 8, 2015 at 12:58

      Actually, it’s about ethics in video game security.

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        July 8, 2015 at 13:01

        Luckily it’s not about the ethics of your face!

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          July 8, 2015 at 13:02

          Reply

          • RinceThis

            July 8, 2015 at 13:09

            GOOD!

          • Hammersteyn

            July 8, 2015 at 13:13

            I’m sorry. Being gone two days I’m still finding my rhythm

          • RinceThis

            July 8, 2015 at 13:16

            Never say sorry to him!

          • Admiral Chief's Adventure

            July 8, 2015 at 13:17

            Good to have you back!

          • Hammersteyn

            July 8, 2015 at 13:37

            XD

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            July 8, 2015 at 13:23

            She didn’t believe me when I told her that either.

          • Hammersteyn

            July 8, 2015 at 13:37

            Women can be so cruel, I’m a human too, not their personal meat wagon 🙁

          • Ir0nseraph

            July 8, 2015 at 13:42

            XD

          • Dutch Matrix

            July 8, 2015 at 13:46

            You. Actually talked to a woman?! Life can still surprise us, it seems!

  4. BurninZ

    July 8, 2015 at 12:52

    Pathetic! Seems like its no only SA with a stupid and weak justice system. How much does it cost the state when someone SWATS? How many people where affected with the PSN and XBox live hack? Oh you naughty boy, go sit in the corner, that will teach you…. insanity

    Reply

  5. Nahuel Graziani

    July 8, 2015 at 12:55

    It’s ironic that they call themselves “Lizard Squad”, since the Ryan guy in the video has the skin translucence of a gecko.

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      July 8, 2015 at 12:57

      XD

      Reply

    • Admiral Chief's Adventure

      July 8, 2015 at 12:59

      Oh you

      Reply

  6. RinceThis

    July 8, 2015 at 13:02

    I think this guy would fit with this video pretty well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrgpZ0fUixs

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      July 8, 2015 at 13:06

      I spit on cars parked illegally in handicapped spaces. No joke.

      Reply

      • RinceThis

        July 8, 2015 at 13:09

        How do you know they are illegally parked? 0_O

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          July 8, 2015 at 13:11

          Normally they have a sign in the windshield or a sticker. Or sometimes I see a prick stepping out of his X5 and the greenest loogie just wells up inside me.

          Reply

          • RinceThis

            July 8, 2015 at 13:12

            What happens if they are disabled and are actually picking up their sticker and they are like, checking their car, and you spit on it. Man, you be so bad!

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            July 8, 2015 at 13:15

            Actually, it’s about ethics in saliva distribution.

          • RinceThis

            July 8, 2015 at 13:16

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            July 8, 2015 at 13:18

            Ethics is serious business!

          • RinceThis

            July 8, 2015 at 13:19

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            July 8, 2015 at 13:20

            Yes that’s right. Walk away! Go get more ethics. MORE ETHICS I SAY!

          • RinceThis

            July 8, 2015 at 13:23

            I’m all OUT!

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            July 8, 2015 at 13:25

            Oh that’s such a lame excuse. You can get 5kgs of ethics at Makro, it’s in between the powdered milk & salt.

          • RinceThis

            July 8, 2015 at 13:28

            That explains why the womminz always seem to have so much RUNS!

          • Admiral Chief's Adventure

            July 8, 2015 at 13:31

            Did JJ drop some ethics on his face?

          • Hammersteyn

            July 8, 2015 at 13:38

            I drop my pants and tell them I need to go boom boom.

  7. Anon A Mouse

    July 8, 2015 at 13:11

    Funny how Lazygamer and MwebGZ both went with the WHAM song theme regarding this news.

    Reply

  8. Nikola

    July 8, 2015 at 13:15

    I don’t know if I would throw the kid in prison you know, he did not steal any money he crashed a network…I don’t know what the sentence would be to be honest…

    Reply

    • Dutch Matrix

      July 8, 2015 at 13:41

      Crashed a network: Would that not lead to a financial loss for Sony and M$?

      Reply

      • Nikola

        July 8, 2015 at 13:43

        True it would, I was more thinking from consumer point of view. Sony and MS will be just fine however it still a crime and he definitely should be punished but I don’t know what kind of a sentence I would give him maybe 5 year probation and if he screws up in those 5 years again then off to jail.

        Reply

        • Dutch Matrix

          July 8, 2015 at 13:44

          Shoot the bastard is what I say!

          Reply

          • Nikola

            July 8, 2015 at 13:46

            hahaha that’s a bit excessive;) I know he messed with our gaming fucking bastard;)

        • coip

          July 8, 2015 at 15:29

          Is preventing people who have already paid for a subscription of a service from using that service when they want to not a form of stealing?

          Reply

    • Anon A Mouse

      July 8, 2015 at 14:46

      He apparently also targeted a specific family in the USA and even sent a SWAT team to their house, it’s a bit more than just crashing a network.

      Reply

  9. schitsophrenic-toothbrush

    July 8, 2015 at 13:30

    Hacking is clearly wrong but that reporter got burned at the end of that interview 😛 I Lol’d a bit.

    Reply

  10. Dutch Matrix

    July 8, 2015 at 13:43

    ‘Tis the girl next to him that offends the nostrils of George so. No. Not the one in the orange shirt. The other girl.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

CD Projekt Red refuses to negotiate with hackers who stole Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 source code

Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red has been hit by a cyber attack, conf…