To the casual observer, cybercriminals can look like swashbuckling geniuses.
They possess technical skills formidable enough to penetrate the networks of the biggest companies on the planet.
They cover their tracks using technology that is arcane to most people—VPNs, encrypted chat apps, onion routing, aliases in dark web forums.
They talk trash, extorting corporate ransoms in cryptocurrency, and they aim high, not flinching even at the prospect of stealing data on US presidential candidates.
But when they're caught, cybercriminals can look less like swashbuckling geniuses and more like judgment-impaired morons.
It's incredible how many of these guys will simply write down all the bad stuff they plan to do. (Haven't they heard of the "Stringer Bell rule"?) They might do so in cocky chats with co-conspirators. They might shoot off emails to addresses that—they believe—belong to foreign intelligence agencies.
If none of that is dumb enough, they might just search up their own criminal plans.
Or they might do all three. Which brings us to Cameron John Wagenius.
The genius
Wagenius was an active-duty US soldier stationed at bases in South Korea and Texas. In 2024, he helped hack telecom companies and obtained call record data on Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, which he posted in November under the "kiberphant0m" name.
... continue reading