A Syrian hacker who focused on the U.S. Marine Corps and was involved in a significant Wall Street flash crash during his time working for the regime of Bashar al-Assad, has been sentenced to prison.
Ahmad Umar Agha received a sentence of 42 months for participating in a broad cyber conspiracy that targeted around 47 Western organizations, including various American government entities and media companies, as stated in a press release from the Department of Justice. The operation tied to Assad aimed to sway U.S. Marines into disobedience, infiltrate social media accounts linked to the White House, and spread false information that momentarily erased more than $100 billion from the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s value.
John A. Eisenberg, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, remarked in the press release that “Agha used his hacking abilities to support Assad’s regime by silencing media reporting on its abuses, intimidating opponents, and urging U.S. servicemembers to disobey their orders.” He highlighted that the hacker’s intrusions into U.S. networks—including an incident that cost investors $136 billion—are a direct threat to the free press and national security. Eisenberg stated that this sentence should remind people of the National Security Division’s commitment to pursuing state-sponsored hackers like Agha.
The DOJ did not respond promptly to a request for comments from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Agha, known as Th3Pr0, was a fugitive for over ten years for his hacking activities against Western media, businesses, NGOs, and government entities. He tried several times to access the White House’s social media pages. One notable incident involved him hacking the Associated Press’s Twitter account to falsely report that then-President Obama had been injured in explosions at the White House, which led to a massive drop in the stock market.
Additionally, he was able to breach the hosting company of the Marine Corps recruitment site, redirecting visitors to a page that encouraged them to reject orders and support the Syrian Army.
Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, stressed the serious risks posed by cybercriminals, especially those acting on behalf of hostile regimes. He pointed out the vital importance of safeguarding the nation’s electronic infrastructure and stressed that legal action would be taken against anyone threatening the systems that support national security and the institutions serving the American populace.
