Former U.S. Army Member Pleads Guilty in Telecom Hacking Case

A 21-year-old former U.S. Army soldier has pleaded guilty to participating in a sophisticated cybercrime operation that targeted telecommunications companies through hacking, data theft, and extortion schemes.

Cameron John Wagenius, who was stationed in Texas during his military service, admitted to conspiring with others to breach protected computer networks and demand ransom payments from victim organizations.

Criminal Operation Spanned Eight Months

Between April 2023 and December 18, 2024, Wagenius operated under the online alias “kiberphant0m” while conducting criminal activities during his active military duty.

The conspiracy involved at least 10 victim organizations, with perpetrators using specialized hacking tools including “SSH Brute” to obtain login credentials for protected computer networks.

The criminal network coordinated their activities through Telegram group chats, where they shared stolen credentials and planned unauthorized access to victim companies’ systems.

This systematic approach allowed the conspirators to efficiently target multiple telecommunications companies and other organizations.

After successfully ...