Cameron John Wagenius, 21, who operated under the alias “kiberphant0m,” pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges related to a conspiracy that attempted to extract at least $1 million from victim organizations between April 2023 and December 2024. The case represents a significant victory for federal cybercrime prosecution, involving coordination between multiple agencies, including the FBI’s Cyber Division, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigative Division. The cybercriminals coordinated their operations through encrypted Telegram group chats, where they exchanged stolen credentials and discussed strategies for penetrating victim companies’ security systems. Their methodical approach involved reconnaissance phases to identify high-value targets within telecommunications infrastructure, followed by lateral movement through corporate networks to access sensitive customer databases and proprietary information. Today, a former U.S. Army soldier pleaded guilty to conspiring to hack into telecommunications companies, access sensitive data, and extort victims. Attempted $1 million extortion by threatening to release stolen data on darknet forums and conducting SIM-swapping attacks. This technique demonstrates the cascading effects of telecommunications breaches, where initial data theft enables subsequent financial crimes. Targeted 10+ organizations from April 2023 to December 2024, coordinating attacks through encrypted Telegram chats. Additionally, the aggravated identity theft conviction mandates a consecutive two-year sentence, meaning this time cannot be served concurrently with other penalties.
This Cyber News was published on cybersecuritynews.com. Publication date: Wed, 16 Jul 2025 08:30:11 +0000