Syrian Man Sentenced for Wide-Ranging Hacking Conspiracy Conducted on Behalf of the Bashar Al Assad Regime – Department of Justice (.gov)

Syrian Man Sentenced for Wide-Ranging Hacking Conspiracy Conducted on Behalf of the Bashar Al Assad Regime  Department of Justice (.gov)

Today a federal district court in the Eastern District of Virginia sentenced Ahmad Umar Agha to 42 months in prison for his central role in an expansive hacking conspiracy organized and led by members of former Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s inner circle, including the commander of Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate, from as early as Aug. 24, 2011, to Jan. 31, 2024. To spread the former Syrian government’s propaganda, Agha hacked approximately 47 Western media entities, businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and U.S. and allied government entities. The hacking conspiracy penalized the free press for reporting on the former Syrian government’s atrocities during the Arab Spring and subsequent Syrian Civil War; used information warfare tactics to cause fear and confusion among Syrian government opponents; collected intelligence for the former Syrian government; and attempted to cause mutiny or refusal of duty by members of the military of the United States.

In one instance, Agha’s actions caused a flash crash in the U.S. stock market, resulting in a temporary $136 billion loss in the value of stocks making up the Dow Jones Industrial Average. “Agha deployed his hacking skills in the service of Assad’s regime to silence reporting on the regime’s atrocities, intimidate its opponents, and incite U.S. servicemembers to refuse their orders,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “His