Overview

• On July 15, Cameron John Wagenius pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, extortion in relation to computer fraud, and aggravated identity theft for targeting 10 telecommunications firms.
• Prosecutors say the active-duty soldier operated under the alias “kiberphant0m” and used a brute-force tool called SSH Brute to harvest login credentials and access customer records between April 2023 and December 2024.
• The scheme involved threats to leak or sell stolen data on hacking forums such as BreachForums and XSS.is and attempts to extort more than $1 million from the victim companies.
• Investigators found that stolen data fueled additional crimes, including SIM-swapping, and noted that Wagenius had earlier pleaded guilty to unlawfully transferring confidential phone records.
• Sentencing is scheduled for October 6, when Wagenius could receive up to 27 years in prison under federal statutes addressing insider cybercrime and extortion.