In this episode of Darknet Diaries, Jack Recider interviews Joe Tidy, the BBC's cyber correspondent, about the Vastaamo psychotherapy center hack in Finland. Tidy recounts the details of the 2020 cyber attack where a hacker known as "Ransom Man" stole and threatened to release sensitive therapy notes of 33,000 patients. The hacker initially tried to extort the company, and when that failed, directly contacted the patients, demanding ransom for their personal data. The situation escalated, drawing national attention and causing immense distress to the victims, some of whom tragically took their own lives. The police investigation eventually led to the arrest of Julius Kivamaki, a notorious hacker with a long history of cybercrimes, who was ultimately sentenced to prison for his involvement in the devastating attack. The discussion also touches on the aftermath for Vastaamo, which collapsed due to the breach, and the legal repercussions for its CEO.
