# Assad regime hacker who caused $136 billion market drop sentenced to 42 months

DevFeed: [Assad regime hacker who caused $136 billion market drop sentenced to 42 months](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/assad-regime-hacker-who-caused-136-billion-market-drop-sentenced-to-42-months-107786.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/10/30/syrian-hacker-sentenced-42-months-prison/>)

Author: Sinisa Markovic

Published: 2026-10-30T13:00:40Z

Content type: news

Language: en

Sources: [Help Net Security](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/help-net-security.md>)

Topics: [Hacking](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/hacking.md>), [Security](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/security.md>), [X (Twitter)](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/twitter.md>)

Tags: [2013](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/2013.md>), [account](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/account.md>), [attack](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/attack.md>), [court](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/court.md>), [department-of-justice](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/department-of-justice.md>), [dow-jones](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/dow-jones.md>), [fake](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/fake.md>), [government](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/government.md>), [hacker](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/hacker.md>), [hacking](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/hacking.md>), [law-enforcement](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/law-enforcement.md>), [marine](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/marine.md>), [national-security](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/national-security.md>), [network-monitoring](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/network-monitoring.md>), [news](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/news.md>), [report](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/report.md>), [sentenced](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/sentenced.md>), [twitter](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/twitter.md>), [us-doj](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/us-doj.md>), [usa](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/usa.md>), [white-house](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/white-house.md>)

## AI overview

Ahmad Umar Agha, known as "Th3Pr0," was sentenced to 42 months for his role in a hacking conspiracy organized by members of Bashar al-Assad's inner circle. Prosecutors said the campaign targeted about 47 Western media outlets, businesses, NGOs, and U.S. and allied government entities. In 2013, Agha used a hijacked news agency Twitter account to falsely report explosions at the White House; the post briefly reduced the Dow's stock value by $136 billion. He also redirected visitors to the Marine Corps recruitment site to propaganda urging Marines to defect, and accessed a White House staffer's email account in a failed effort to take over social media accounts. The excerpt reports significant cleanup costs for victims, including $480,000 in losses for one NGO.

## Source excerpt

A Syrian man who used a hijacked news agency Twitter account to post a fake report of explosions at the White House has been sentenced to 42 months in prison, the US Department of Justice has announced. Ahmad Umar Agha, also known as "Th3Pr0", was sentenced on Thursday by a federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia for his central role in a hacking conspiracy organized and led by members of former Syrian President ... More -> The post Assad regime hacker who caused $136 billion market drop sentenced to 42 months appeared first on Help Net Security.