Former U.S. Army soldier Cameron John Wagenius has pleaded guilty to hacking major telecommunication companies and attempting to extort them by threatening to leak stolen data, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Tuesday.
Wagenius, who operated online under the alias “kiberphant0m,” admitted to working with others to breach systems belonging to at least 10 different companies. According to the DOJ, he used stolen login credentials and brute force techniques to gain unauthorized access, then shared the stolen data in Telegram group chats where he and his co-conspirators discussed their hacks.
The group not only sold stolen data but also used it to carry out other cybercrimes, including SIM swapping attacks — a method used to hijack phone numbers and gain access to personal accounts.
Wagenius and his accomplices used both private messages and public hacking forums, such as the well-known BreachForums, to pressure their victims into paying ransoms. In some cases, the stolen data was posted or offered for sale.
Earlier this year, Wagenius had already pleaded guilty to hacking AT&T and Verizon, which led to the theft of large volumes of sensitive call records.
Authorities say his hacking activity is also linked to the wider breach of cloud computing firm Snowflake, which has been at the center of multiple high-profile data thefts in recent months.
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Wagenius is scheduled to be sentenced on October 6 and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.
