A US Army soldier, Cameron John Wagenius, has pleaded guilty to hacking into the systems of AT&T and Verizon, stealing a massive trove of phone records, according to court records filed on Wednesday. Wagenius faces a maximum fine of $250,000 and prison time of up to ten years for each of the two counts of "unlawful transfer of confidential phone records information".

The guilty plea comes after Wagenius was arrested and indicted last year, with US prosecutors confirming that the charges brought against him were linked to the indictment of Connor Moucka and John Binns, two alleged hackers accused of several data breaches against cloud computing services company Snowflake. The Snowflake hacks were among the worst of 2024, and Wagenius' involvement in the breaches was confirmed by US attorney Tessa Gorman last month.

Gorman told the court that both the AT&T and Verizon breaches "arise from the same computer intrusion and extortion and include some of the same stolen victim information." She added that "these cases rely on overlapping evidentiary material and legal process and arguably present common questions of law and fact," effectively linking Wagenius to the Snowflake breaches.

The Snowflake hacks resulted in the theft of troves of data from at least 160 companies, including AT&T, LendingTree, Santander Bank, and Ticketmaster. The extent of the breaches and the number of companies affected are still unclear, but the guilty plea marks a significant development in the investigation.

The case highlights the growing concern over cybersecurity threats and the importance of protecting sensitive information. The hacking of major telecommunications companies like AT&T and Verizon raises questions about the security of customer data and the potential consequences of such breaches.

Wagenius' guilty plea also raises questions about the involvement of US military personnel in cybercrime and the potential risks of insider threats. As the investigation continues, it remains to be seen what other revelations will come to light and what measures will be taken to prevent such breaches in the future.

In the meantime, the public is encouraged to come forward with any information related to the Snowflake hacks or other data breaches. Individuals can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely via Signal, Telegram, or email, or through TechCrunch's SecureDrop.