Technology

The best deals on true wireless earbuds right now

Published

3 years ago

March 8, 2022

The best deals on true wireless earbuds right now

On the subject of true wi-fi earbuds, there are a ton of manufacturers and merchandise to select from. Whether or not you want one thing with noise cancellation like Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wi-fi 2 to drown out your morning commute or a fitness-focused pair just like the Beats Powerbeats Professional, there’s now a pair of wi-fi earbuds properly fitted to almost each event. Some, just like the UE Matches, even conform to the form of your ear to supply a safe match that’s uniquely yours.

Whatever the model or mannequin that speaks to you, nonetheless, we’ve scoured the web to search out the very best offers at the moment obtainable on true wi-fi earbuds. After all, in case you’re nonetheless looking for the correct make and mannequin for you, be sure to take a look at our information to the very best wi-fi earbuds, which ought to assist slim down your choices. We’ve additionally put collectively a information to the very best noise-canceling headphones if earbuds aren’t your factor.

Highlights throughout the vary

Picture by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Apple AirPods offers

When you personal an iPhone or a number of Apple merchandise, the AirPods Professional are possible the very best true wi-fi earbuds available on the market for you. In contrast to the bottom AirPods, the newest Professionals supply higher sound high quality and have energetic noise cancellation, to not point out seamless integration with iOS and a MagSafe-compatible charging case.

Whereas the AirPods Professional carry a lofty $249.99 price ticket, in addition they go on sale relatively ceaselessly. Throughout Black Friday and Cyber Monday, for example, we noticed them drop as little as $160. They’re now not obtainable at that worth, however you possibly can nonetheless get a pair with the MagSafe charging case for $189.99 at Amazon, Walmart, Goal, and Greatest Purchase. B&H Picture, in the meantime, has them for $194.99.

Alternatively, you should buy a pair of second-generation AirPods — now the entry-level mannequin — with both a wired or wi-fi charging case. The bottom AirPods usually retail for $129, however you possibly can at the moment get the model with the wired charging case for $109.99 at Amazon, Greatest Purchase, or Walmart.

When you favor just a little extra comfort, it’s also possible to get a pair of the second-gen AirPods with a Qi-compatible wi-fi charging case for just a few {dollars} extra. Apple now not sells the wi-fi configuration — and so they’ve grow to be more and more tough to search out on-line — however you possibly can nonetheless get them for $149.95 as an alternative of $199.99 at B&H Picture and Greatest Purchase.

Final on the AirPods block is the latest third-gen mannequin, the newest addition to the AirPods lineup. The earbuds mix a little bit of the AirPods Professional look with the laborious, plastic construct of the second-gen mannequin and include a MagSafe-compatible charging case. Additionally they supply IPX4 water resistance, improved sound high quality, and retail for $179.

Though we not too long ago noticed the third-gen AirPods on sale for as little as $140, they at the moment can solely be discovered for round $169 at Amazon, Greatest Purchase, Goal, and Walmart. That’s solely $10 off their typical retail worth, however in case you just like the newer design and MagSafe charging, it could be price contemplating.

AirPods (third-generation)

Related in look to their sleeker sibling, the AirPods Professional, the newest entry-level AirPods boast a brand new charging case and shorter stems. They’re additionally water resistant, not like the 2019 mannequin, and sport higher battery life.

Samsung Galaxy Buds offers

Samsung has just a few totally different wi-fi earbuds to select from, together with its newest flagship wi-fi earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Professional. These earbuds embody energetic noise cancellation and a few of the finest sound high quality of any Samsung earbuds up to now.

Throughout Black Friday, the Galaxy Buds Professional have been greater than $50 off, bringing the worth all the way down to round $150 — almost an all-time low — in choose colorways. Fortunately, Goal is at the moment matching that worth, promoting them in choose colorways for $149.99. Amazon has them on sale in purple for $179.99, in case you favor a extra vibrant shade.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Professional

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Professional have a mix of tech discovered within the Buds Plus and Buds Stay, with the very best sound high quality the corporate has achieved but in a pair of earbuds.

Samsung launched the Galaxy Buds 2 — a good-sounding pair of earbuds with energetic noise cancellation, wi-fi charging, and a delicate design — in August, and we’ve seen loads of reductions since then at retailers like Woot and Amazon. Proper now, for example, you will get them at Woot for $99.99, their lowest worth up to now. Whereas these are in new situation, they solely carry a 90-day guarantee from Woot. If that provides you pause, you should buy them at Amazon with a one-year producer’s guarantee beginning at $111.10.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
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The Galaxy Buds 2 are the brand new entry-level wi-fi earbuds from Samsung. Regardless of this, they’re filled with sufficient options that folks on a funds could be comfortable selecting these over the pricier Buds Professional.

The Galaxy Buds Plus have been our high choose final yr for the very best wi-fi earbuds general however have since been discontinued with the arrival of the Galaxy Buds 2. A successor to the unique Galaxy Buds, the Plus mannequin extends the battery life by as much as 11 hours and, not like AirPods, is available in an assortment of colours.

Proper now, you should buy the $149.99 Galaxy Buds Plus in black for simply $99 at Walmart, which is without doubt one of the lowest costs we’ve seen within the final a number of months and sure one of many final main reductions we’ll see earlier than the earbuds grow to be unavailable.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus

The Galaxy Buds Plus are the last-gen successor to the Galaxy Buds. The most important change from this mannequin is that the battery life is almost doubled in comparison with the unique Galaxy Buds.

The Galaxy Buds Stay are a few of the extra unconventional wi-fi earbuds available on the market proper now, however don’t let their bean-shaped design idiot you. The Buds Stay are a superb possibility if you’d like earbuds that produce highly effective sound and showcase marathon battery life. Proper now, you should purchase a pair of the Galaxy Buds Stay beginning for as little as $95.97 at Amazon and Goal as an alternative of $169.99, which is almost their lowest worth up to now.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Stay

Samsung’s unconventional wi-fi earbuds are formed like beans, however they produce a strong sound and include prolonged battery life.

Sony earbud offers

The Sony WF-1000XM4 are our high choose for the very best earbuds you should buy, boasting the very best noise cancellation of any true wi-fi earbuds. They provide phenomenal sound high quality in addition to a wonderful battery, and may even be charged wirelessly by way of the included charging case. Though we’ve seen them promote for as little as $218, they’re solely obtainable at Amazon, Goal, and Greatest Purchase proper now for round $248, about 11 % off the MSRP. Even at their present worth, nonetheless, they’re a simple suggestion.

Sony’s WF-1000XM4

Sony’s WF-1000XM4 have the very best noise cancellation of any true wi-fi earbuds, and the sound high quality is second to none. The earbuds also can now be charged wirelessly and have a brand new design that’s smaller and rated IPX4.

When you’re searching for a pair of Sony earbuds which can be extra budget-friendly, enter the Sony WF-C500. These reasonably priced earbuds got here out on the finish of 2021, and so they show their price with good sound high quality, glorious battery life, and really aggressive pricing. You might not get energetic noise cancellation or wi-fi charging with these earbuds, however they continue to be an distinctive worth. At the moment, they’re obtainable at Amazon, Walmart, Greatest Purchase, and Goal for round $68, a modest low cost on their $99.99 price ticket. Learn our overview.

Sony WF-C500 wi-fi earbuds
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The Sony WF-C500 are a budget-friendly pair of earbuds that prioritize sound high quality and battery life. The small and pocket-friendly charging case carries one extra cost, totaling 20 hours of listening time.

Jabra Elite 75t offers

In comparison with the competitors, Jabra’s wi-fi earbuds have a uncommon function that has but to grow to be normal within the true wi-fi earbud market: the power to hook up with two gadgets concurrently. Ideally, that is nice for customers who swap between two gadgets usually (like, say, a cellphone and a laptop computer).

Regardless of their age, the Jabra Elite 75t stay a reliable set of earbuds. In our authentic overview, The Verge’s Chris Welch decried them to be the very best AirPods different you could possibly purchase on the time, with a snug match, twin level Bluetooth connectivity, and deep, bass-heavy sound. We have been barely dissatisfied by their lack of true energetic noise cancellation, however we’re comfortable to report that, due to a firmware replace, the Jabra Elite 75t now embody this function.

Usually $149.99, the Jabra Elite 75t wi-fi earbuds are at the moment on sale at Walmart for $82.50, whereas Amazon has them for $99.99. We don’t count on them to be broadly obtainable for for much longer, nonetheless, given Jabra plans to section out the Elite 75t in favor of newer fashions, particularly the Elite 7 Professional, Elite 7 Lively, and Elite 3.

Jabra Elite 75t

Jabra’s Elite 75t earbuds supply bass-heavy sound, dependable efficiency, and may join to 2 gadgets — like a cellphone and laptop computer — on the similar time.

Jabra Elite 85t offers

In 2020, Jabra launched the Elite 85t wi-fi earbuds, that are the highest-tier mannequin in Jabra’s present lineup. They provide extra superior noise cancellation than the 75t. Nonetheless, in addition they function much less bass and an inferior match. That stated, you possibly can at the moment purchase the Jabra Elite 85t at Amazon for $184.91 as an alternative of $229.99 while you select the copper black colorway. That’s not as steep as their all-time low of $139.99, but it surely’s nonetheless a $45 low cost. You can even purchase them at Greatest Purchase and GameStop for $199.99 while you select the black colorway.

Jabra Elite 85t

Jabra’s Elite 85t have noise cancellation and a semi-open design, letting them breathe a bit greater than the corporate’s different fashions. One in every of their most spectacular options is the power to deal with a number of Bluetooth connections concurrently.

Jabra Elite 3 offers

The Jabra Elite 3, one of many newer fashions from Jabra, are additionally obtainable proper now at a sizeable low cost. In his overview, The Verge’s Chris Welch famous that though the Jabra Elite 3 shed options like energetic noise cancellation and multipoint Bluetooth assist, they nonetheless present a wonderful listening expertise at a comparatively low worth level. Usually $79.99, the earbuds are at the moment on sale at Amazon in choose colorways for $72.95.

Jabra Elite 3
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Jabra’s Elite 3 earbuds have a refreshed design that’s extra fashionable than the corporate’s previous earbuds. Whereas they don’t have many frills or further options, they fare properly in the important thing areas of sound high quality, consolation, and battery life.

Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wi-fi 2 offers

Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wi-fi 2 are one other pair of wonderful noise-canceling earbuds which can be at the moment on sale. As famous in our overview, the earbuds supply nice ANC efficiency, customizable controls, and sound that may almost match that of a premium pair of noise-canceling over-ear headphones. Usually $299.95, you should buy them proper now at Adorama for $190, one in every of their higher costs up to now, or at Goal for $199.95.

Beats Powerbeats Professional offers

When you’re at the moment available in the market for a dependable pair of wi-fi earbuds to your exercises, it’s laborious to go incorrect with the predecessor to the Studio Buds, the Beats Powerbeats Professional. These earbuds sport an over-ear hook that retains them in place when you’re exercising; in addition they supply IPX4 sweat- and water resistant, that means you don’t have to fret about ruining them ought to your exercise get intense.

At the moment, there are just a few totally different reductions obtainable on the Powerbeats Professional, which usually retails for $249.95. The bottom worth we’ve discovered is at Amazon, the place you should buy them in choose colorways for as little as $169.95. If Amazon doesn’t have the colour you’re after, nonetheless, it’s also possible to choose them up at Greatest Purchase, Staples, Walmart, or the official Beats storefront, all of that are promoting them in a number of colours for round $200. That’s not the bottom worth we’ve seen the PowerBeats Professional go for — they have been on sale for round $150 all through most of November and December — but it surely’s nonetheless a hefty low cost on what would in any other case be a $250 pair of earbuds.

Beats Powerbeats Professional

The Beats Powerbeats Professional present as much as 9 hours of battery life, with 24 hours supplied by the case. They’re IPX4 sweat- and waterproof, too, and have Apple’s H1 chip for simple pairing and hands-free Siri instructions.

UE Matches offers

After testing a pair for ourselves, we remarked in our overview that the UE Matches have been probably the most snug shopper earbuds available on the market. That’s as a result of, not like the opposite wi-fi earbuds on this checklist, the UE Matches are uniquely able to completely molding to the form of your ears in simply 60 seconds, making them an ideal selection for these involved their earbuds might come free or fall out. On the similar time, nonetheless, we additionally discovered that they provide good sound high quality, in addition to prolonged, eight-hour battery life. Usually $199.99, you will get them proper now for simply $164 from Final Ears.

UE Matches

The UE Matches include ear suggestions that completely mould to the distinctive form of your ears in simply 60 seconds. This enables for a a lot better match that you would be able to comfortably put on for hours.

Technology

Microsoft’s mini AI PCs are on the way

Published

3 hours ago

January 2, 2025

Press Room

Ever since Microsoft first introduced its Arm-based Copilot Plus laptops in June, I’ve been wondering when we might see Copilot Plus features appear on desktop PCs. Six months on, it’s clear we’re about to see mini PCs that deliver the AI performance required for features like Recall, Click To Do, and AI-powered image generation and editing in Windows 11. These mini PCs might even help Microsoft compete with Apple’s latest Mac Mini.

Asus became the first PC manufacturer to announce a mini PC that’s Copilot Plus capable in September. It then revealed the full specs of its upcoming NUC 14 Pro AI last month, ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that kicks off next week. Asus’ mini PC even has a Copilot button on the front and is almost identical to the size of Apple’s latest Mac Mini.

The timing of Asus’ spec drop came on the same day that Taiwanese company Geekom revealed three new mini PCs that it will showcase at CES. Geekom is releasing a mini PC with AMD’s Strix Point CPUs inside and one with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processor, meaning both will be Copilot Plus compatible. The third model is powered by Intel’s unannounced Arrow Lake-H laptop processors, which are unlikely to have an NPU sufficient enough to be Copilot Plus compatible.

I’m going to be paying close attention to CES next week to see if there are any other Windows OEMs that are ready to launch Copilot Plus mini PCs. CES is usually a launch point for Microsoft’s latest laptop or tablet initiatives, and last year the company convinced OEMs to put a Copilot key on their laptop keyboards. Asus wouldn’t be adding a Copilot button on the front of its own mini PC without Microsoft’s involvement, so I wonder how many other PC makers Microsoft has been working with to add dedicated Copilot buttons.

Geekom’s mention of Qualcomm chips inside its mini PC means we’ll start to see Qualcomm’s latest chips venture beyond laptops for the first time. Qualcomm was supposed to ship its mini PC Snapdragon Dev Kit in June alongside Copilot Plus laptops, but it ended up canceling it months later after issues with manufacturing the device. Qualcomm has also teased that its Snapdragon X Elite chips could appear in mini PCs or even all-in-one PCs, so perhaps we’ll see some Copilot Plus all-in-one PCs next week, too.

I’m still waiting to see when we might get Copilot Plus features on traditional powerful desktop PCs. Intel’s latest Core Ultra desktop CPU arrived in October with an NPU inside, but it wasn’t capable enough to hit the 40 TOPS requirement that Microsoft mandates for Copilot Plus features. We’re going to have to wait until next-gen desktop CPUs from Intel and AMD arrive to see if more capable NPUs are a priority for chipmakers. Until then, mini PCs and all-in-one PCs that use laptop processors are going to be the only way to get Copilot Plus features in a desktop PC form factor.

While Copilot Plus features remain limited to Windows PCs, that doesn’t mean that we won’t see the main Copilot assistant appear on more devices. I’ve heard from multiple sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans that the company is keen to get Copilot on devices beyond just PCs, phones, and tablets.

We might well see Copilot appear on some unexpected hardware at CES next week, just as Microsoft has also been hinting about its ambitions for dedicated AI hardware in recent months. Windows chief Pavan Davuluri admitted in an October Notepad interview that the power of modern AI models “will free up the ability to innovate in hardware and come out with purpose-built hardware.”

Davuluri stopped short of detailing what dedicated AI hardware would look like for Microsoft, but weeks later Yusuf Mehdi, executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer at Microsoft, dropped some additional hints in an underreported interview with YouTuber Austin Evans.

“These devices that see the world, that you wear on your body, on your person, I think that those combined with AI will be very valuable,” said Mehdi in late October. “It can do image recognition, it can talk to you about what’s going on. I think that’s a fascinating place that we’ll go.”

Later in the interview Mehdi also describes wearable health-related devices as exciting and “a big opportunity” for the future. Microsoft then confirmed last month that Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman has hired multiple former colleagues to help run a new AI health unit. It’s hard to imagine Microsoft venturing into fitness wearables again after the Microsoft Band was scrapped in 2016, but I could definitely see the company wanting to partner with device manufacturers and offer up AI-powered health services for these types of devices.

Either way, 2025 won’t see Microsoft slow down with its ambition to get Copilot on all the screens we look at every day.

The pad:

2024 was a big year for Windows on Arm. While Microsoft has been pushing the “year of the AI PC” throughout 2024, I think it was a bigger moment for Windows on Arm. Copilot Plus PCs ushered in some really solid improvements in performance, compatibility, and battery life for Windows on Arm this year. I still can’t quite believe I’m using an Arm-powered Windows laptop every day.
A weird Windows 11 bug won’t let some people install any security updates. Another month and another weird Windows bug. Microsoft is now warning Windows 11 users that if you’ve manually installed the OS recently, there’s an odd bug where you might not get future security updates. It largely impacts USB installers that were created using the October and November release patches, so businesses will be impacted the most. The workaround requires a full rebuild right now, though, and Microsoft says it’s working on a permanent fix.
Lenovo has a special gaming handheld event next week with Valve and Microsoft. Leaks have suggested Lenovo is about to announce its first SteamOS handheld gaming PC. Now Lenovo has revealed a “future of gaming handhelds” event at CES next week that will include Valve as well as Microsoft’s VP of next generation, Jason Ronald. It looks like Microsoft and Valve might be about to go head to head over the future of handheld gaming — something I wrote about in a previous Notepad issue. Ronald’s attendance is particularly interesting given he was previously the vice president of Xbox gaming devices and ecosystem. I understand Ronald has been involved in Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox plans for quite some time now, but it’s curious that Microsoft picked this particular event to confirm Ronald’s new title. I’m sure I’ll have a lot more to say about this mysterious Lenovo event in next week’s Notepad.
Microsoft is testing live translation on Intel and AMD Copilot Plus PCs. Microsoft has started previewing its live translation feature for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. Live translation was initially limited to Qualcomm-powered Copilot Plus PCs, but Microsoft is starting to bring more of these Windows AI features to AMD- and Intel-powered Copilot Plus PCs.
Microsoft and OpenAI’s partnership hinges on the AGI question. A new report from The Information claims that Microsoft and OpenAI’s wrangling over the terms of their partnership could involve the definition of artificial general intelligence (AGI) as a moment when $100 billion is returned in profits. AGI has always been the point at which Microsoft’s deal with OpenAI would end, so a high-profit milestone will certainly complicate OpenAI’s efforts to declare AGI and end its contract with Microsoft given it’s still struggling with profits. Separately, Microsoft thinks core pieces are still missing from AGI, so the debate over when it’s likely to be declared will continue for quite some time.
Microsoft kills off Skype credits and phone numbers in favor of subscriptions. Skype has been struggling to keep up with the popularity of WhatsApp, Messenger, Zoom, and many other VoIP services in recent years. Now, Microsoft has quietly ended the sale of new Skype credits and the phone number features for Skype in favor of subscriptions instead. Skype Credit was a way to use a pay-as-you-go plan for making calls with Skype, but you’ll now need a subscription to use this functionality.
Microsoft warns Phone Link won’t show “sensitive” Android 15 notifications. A new Android 15 privacy feature that categorizes notifications like 2FA codes as sensitive is causing some issues for Microsoft’s Phone Link feature in Windows. You can turn off the enhanced notifications in Android 15 to work around the issue, but Windows should still show sensitive notifications on Android devices where Phone Link was preinstalled on the device.
The Xbox Sebile controller is still on the way. During the FTC v. Microsoft case in 2023 a huge amount of unannounced Xbox hardware was leaked, including a new Xbox controller codenamed Sebile. While the controller was supposed to originally debut in 2024, Microsoft appears to now be holding it back for its next-gen console instead. Windows Central reports that a new patent details Sebile’s new haptic motors that are spread throughout the controller. Sebile will also support direct Wi-Fi connectivity to Xbox Cloud Gaming, much like Google’s Stadia controller.
GitHub now has a free tier for Copilot in VS Code. Microsoft-owned GitHub was the first to start using the Copilot branding for a paid AI coding assistant in 2021. GitHub is now offering a free version of GitHub Copilot in VS Code. It includes 2,000 code completions and 50 chat messages per month, and is available for the 150 million developers using GitHub. It also includes the choice between using Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet or OpenAI’s GPT-4o model to ask coding questions, explain code, or let the AI models find bugs in your code.
Microsoft is working on adding non-OpenAI models to its Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft is reportedly working on adding third-party AI models to its Microsoft 365 Copilot soon. Reuters reports that Microsoft is looking at other models to reduce costs of the AI assistant in Office apps and lessen its dependence on OpenAI. I wouldn’t be surprised if this involved Microsoft’s own AI models, but the company could also follow GitHub’s move to support models from Anthropic and Google.

Thanks for subscribing and reading to the very end. I’ll be reflecting on Microsoft’s 50-year history in Notepad later this year, so if there’s a particular period of time you’re interested in hearing more about,please get in touch: notepad@theverge.com.

If you’ve heard about any of Microsoft’s other secret projects, you can also reach me via email at notepad@theverge.com or speak to me confidentially on the Signal messaging app, where I’m tomwarren.01. I’m also tomwarren on Telegram, if you’d prefer to chat there.

Technology

US sanctions Russian group over AI-generated election disinformation

Published

11 hours ago

January 2, 2025

Press Room

US sanctions Russian group over AI-generated election disinformation

The US has issued sanctions on organizations in Russia and Iran for attempting to interfere with the 2024 presidential election. The Treasury Department said on Tuesday that the groups tried to “stoke socio-political tensions” and influence voters.

One group, the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise, has ties to Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), and built a server to host its own AI tools “to avoid foreign web-hosting services that would block their activity.” The organization then used these tools to “quickly create disinformation” that it spread across dozens of fake online news outlets, while also providing US-based companies with money to maintain its AI server and operate a network of “at least 100 websites” used in its campaign.

Additionally, the Russian organization manipulated a video to “produce baseless accusations concerning a 2024 vice presidential candidate”. In October, the US accused Russia of creating a video that attempted to smear Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz.

The Treasury Department also sanctioned the Cognitive Design Production Center, a subsidiary of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), for planning to interfere with the election “since at least 2023.” In the weeks leading up to the election, the US Department of Justice indicted Iranian nationals accused of waging a cyberattack against President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign, while OpenAI reported banning ChatGPT accounts linked to an Iranian influence operation.

“The Governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns,” Bradley Smith, the Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in the press release.

Technology

US soldier arrested after allegedly posting hacked Trump and Harris call logs

Published

18 hours ago

January 1, 2025

Press Room

US soldier arrested after allegedly posting hacked Trump and Harris call logs

The United States has arrested a US Army soldier and charged him with being part of a hacking scheme to sell and distribute stolen phone records. An indictment alleges that 20-year-old Cameron John Wagenius knowingly sold “confidential phone records” over online forums and other communications platforms last November.

The indictment doesn’t detail the hacked material, but KrebsOnSecurity reports that Wagenius appears to be connected to a series of high-profile data breaches linked to the online alias “Kiberphant0m.” Kiberphant0m claimed to have hacked 15 telecom firms and was working with the person allegedly behind the Snowflake data breaches to sell the stolen information.

In November, Kiberphant0m posted what they claimed were AT&T call logs for President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s not clear if the data was genuine, but AT&T did suffer a major theft of customer data as part of the Snowflake account breaches last year. In 2023, the hacker is also alleged to have sold “remote access credentials for a major U.S. defense contractor,” according to Krebs.

Krebs reports that Wagenius worked on communications at an Army base in South Korea. After the alleged leak of Trump and Harris data, Krebs did a deep dive into Kiberphant0m’s online communications and identified that they were likely a US soldier. In this latest report, Krebs spoke with Wagenius’ mother, who confirmed his connection to the alleged Snowflake hacker.

Cybersecurity experts reportedly received harassment for trying to track down Kiberphant0m’s identity, leading to this incredible quote from Allison Nixon, the lead researcher at cybersecurity firm Unit 221B, who was part of the work. “Anonymously extorting the President and VP as a member of the military is a bad idea,” Nixon told Krebs, “but it’s an even worse idea to harass people who specialize in de-anonymizing cybercriminals.”