U.S. Soldier Sentenced to 70 Months for AT&T and Verizon Extortion Schemes

Cameron John Wagenius, a 22-year-old U.S. Army soldier, has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for his role in a massive cybercrime operation. Operating under the alias 'Kiberphant0m,' Wagenius hacked into major telecommunications companies, including AT&T and Verizon, stealing call and text metadata for over 100 million customers. The investigation revealed that Wagenius exploited exposed credentials in Snowflake cloud storage accounts to facilitate his attacks. Working with co-conspirators, he extorted victim companies for Bitcoin and threatened to leak sensitive data, including information related to high-profile political figures and national security schematics. Following an investigation by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the FBI, and the Secret Service, Wagenius was apprehended in South Korea. In addition to his prison sentence, he was ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution. This case highlights the severe risks posed by insider threats with security clearances engaging in global cybercriminal activities.