Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Want a daily digest of the top Nashville news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Nashville newsletter.
Want a daily digest of the top Columbus news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Columbus newsletter.
Want a daily digest of the top Dallas news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Dallas newsletter.
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
The National Security Agency headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a former engineer at the National Security Agency to five and a half years in prison for causing a major security breach at the agency after he removed troves of top secret information without authorization and kept it at his home.
The details: Between 2010 and 2015, Nghia Hoang Pho worked on sensitive NSA programs that hacked into computers used by terrorists and U.S. adversaries. An unidentified group that called itself Shadow Brokers had gained access to some of the agency’s hacking tools stored on Pho's home computer and posted some online. The source of the leak has not been found.
The big picture: U.S. District Court Judge George Russell, who issued the sentence, was infuriated over what he called a double-standard for top officials who violate laws aiding the nation's secrets, Politico reports. "Did he do one day in prison?”, he asked of former CIA Director David Petraeus, who admitted to keeping top secret information at his home without permission. Petraeus was sentenced to two years probation for providing classified information to his girlfriend and was fined $100,000.