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PlayStation Hack Exposed: New Max Docuseries Profiles Suspect

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Ava Monroe

PlayStation Hack Suspect Profiled In New Max Docuseries

A Look into the Infamous Lizard Squad and Julius Kivimaki

In 2014, the notorious hacking collective known as Lizard Squad made headlines by disrupting the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live during the Christmas season. Fast forward to over ten years later, and the spotlight is now on Julius Kivimaki, a former member of the group. Kivimaki features prominently in the trailer for Max’s new four-part documentary series titled “Most Wanted: Teen Hacker.” Despite being a central figure, Kivimaki displays little regret for his alleged criminal actions in the initial promotional footage.

Lizard Squad, known for their black hat hacking operations, faced their downfall when they attempted to monetize a hacking tool which led to the arrest of two members in 2016, connected to the infamous Christmas attacks on XBL and PSN. The forthcoming series, however, primarily focuses on Kivimaki—now going by Aleksanteri Kivimaki—and his cybercriminal endeavors starting from when he was 15 years old in Finland.

The trailer highlights several severe accusations against Kivimaki, including hacking high-profile figures like Elon Musk, orchestrating a SWAT raid on an FBI agent’s family home, and instigating a bomb threat aboard a plane carrying John Smedley, the President of Sony Online Entertainment at the time. This last act led to an Air Force-mandated emergency landing due to the perceived threat.

Kivimaki was initially spared from prison despite being found guilty of over 50,000 cybercrimes, owing to his young age at the time. However, his freedom was curtailed in 2024 when he faced conviction for leaking Finnish therapy records, resulting in a six-year prison sentence.

Max is set to release the first episode of “Most Wanted: Teen Hacker” in September. The series promises a comprehensive exploration of Kivimaki’s criminal career through interviews with Kivimaki himself, his victims, renowned international hackers, a former FBI agent involved in the case, and cybersecurity experts.

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