How a Teen Hacker in Finland Made Big Trouble for Americans

In August 2014, American Airlines flight 362 was diverted to Phoenix by US Air Force jets after a bomb threat call from a teenager identifying himself as Sony gaming executive John Smedley. But what sparked this outrageous bomb threat? It all came down to a social media rant against a hacker group known as Lizard Squad.

Lizard Squad, led by 17-year-old Aleksanteri "Julius" Kivimäki, had taken down the computer servers for Sony's PlayStation 2 and Xbox. In response, Smedley made a fiery Twitter post, which Lizard Squad saw as an attack on their operations.

Kivimäki was just a minor living in Finland at the time, but he had already gained notoriety as a hacker. He had joined the group Lizard Squad at age 12 and had become known for his skills in hacking and cryptocurrency trading. According to director Sami Kieksi, Kivimäki's crypto cache may be considerable.

"I believe he earned millions," Kieksi told The Post. "According to estimates by author and dark web expert Aarno Malin, Kivimäki could be at least partly responsible for a scammer known as Dnstats who has made at least 2 million euros through, among other things, phishing scams."

Kivimäki's actions had serious consequences. He was convicted of 50,700 cybercrime-related charges, including the bomb hoax, and received a two-year suspended sentence. However, he continued to cause problems in the US, including multiple allegations of swatting.

Swatting is a form of harassment where someone falsely claims there is a life-threatening emergency to trick law enforcement into responding. Kivimäki allegedly targeted Americans, including a girl in Norfolk, Connecticut, and her family, who were awakened with flashlights in their faces.

"He seems to enjoy making people squirm and making them uncomfortable," said Brian Krebs, who investigates computer crime, via his website Krebs On Security. "He's hurt a lot of people."

Kivimäki is now 28 years old and serving a six-year sentence on charges including extortion. Despite his actions, he claims to have lived a normal life, with good parents and sisters who have no problems.

"His parents are normal people, very good and caring," said Joni Soila, the producer of the documentary "Teen Hacker." "He developed computer skills [at a young age] and knew how to make code right away. He felt that he knew better than authority."

When asked about his actions in an interview with the documentary filmmakers, Kivimäki said, "Maybe I'll find a good enough fake beard or a wig. Then I can go again to Michelin restaurants."

In 2022, Kivimäki was finally arrested in an apartment outside of Paris after police responded to a domestic disturbance call and recognized his alias. He was found guilty on all counts related to the Vestaamo hack and sentenced to just over six years.

But he may not be there for much longer. According to Soila, "If nothing changed, he's free in the next year." In Finland, when you are first-time offender, you need to stay in prison for 50% of the sentence.