The Hidden Third with Mariana van Zeller

Episode Title: Xbox Underground Hacker
Guest: Armand "the Cyber" Sadri
Release Date: January 21, 2026

Episode Overview

In this riveting episode of The Hidden Third, journalist Mariana van Zeller interviews Armand "the Cyber" Sadri—a former prodigy hacker who rose from pulling school computer pranks to infiltrating Microsoft and running multi-million-dollar fraud schemes as part of the infamous Xbox Underground. Armand reveals how his obsession with gaming and hacking led him into cybercrime, his days as a botnet master, his brushes with law enforcement, and his eventual pivot to "white hat" hacking. The episode offers an illuminating, often jaw-dropping look inside the mind and world of a real-life underground hacker, and it explores both the allure and risks of cybercrime as well as the path to redemption.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Life & Family Dynamics

• Background: Armand grew up in Bellevue, Washington, between separated parents of Iranian and Brazilian descent. His father, an accomplished heart surgeon and inventor, lost his patents in a legal battle, influencing Armand's views on success and struggle.
• Quote:

  "Like it made me really learn like how valuable life is when you don't have resources, like how desperate people can get and like what can happen from that."
  (Armand, [03:20])

2. Early Fascination with Computers & Hacking

• Armand discovered computers at his father’s lab around age 8 or 9 and quickly became obsessed, especially with video games.
• By elementary school, he was experimenting with malware (Trojans) for pranks on his cousin—an early "script kiddie."
• Quote:

  "All I care about at the end of the day is how many numbers I have on that net, right. I don't care about if I make money, what I do with it. All I care about, can I get more hacked computers?"
  (Armand, [14:31])

3. Escalation: Botnets, Bullying, and School Networks

• By middle school, Armand had taken over his school’s computer network via malware dropped on a shared drive, leading to police involvement and emergency suspension ([13:22], [29:36]).
• He constructed "botnets"—networks of hacked computers—that at one point included over 200,000 devices.
• Armand used his power for pranks, but bullying at a new school led him to "swat" another kid as a form of revenge ([21:19]).
• Quote:

  "Don't mess with me...I would mess up anything you had online if you came after me."
  (Armand, [19:55])

4. Transition to Profit-Driven Hacking

• Sold access to his botnet (selling "loads") and made around $30,000 by seventh grade ([18:31]).
• By high school, was earning $5,000 a day selling game cheats and account modifications on Xbox and Call of Duty ([42:27]).
• Quote:

  "On the peak? Yeah, more than $5,000 a day."
  (Armand, [42:29])

5. Community and Recognition in the Hacking Undergound

• Online friendships and rivalries developed, especially among hackers obsessed with modifying Halo.
• Mentored by Anthony Clark, a legendary modder/hacker; joined the clandestine "Xbox Underground" ([36:46], [41:00]).

6. Breaking into Microsoft – The Xbox Heist

• Driven by rivalry and necessity, Armand breached Microsoft more than 20 times, using a cloned security badge from his mother's boyfriend to access confidential labs and steal three unreleased Xbox prototypes ([50:23], [51:00]).
• Quote:

  "I've broken to Microsoft more than 20 times."
  (Armand, [50:23])
  "In that moment when that door unlocked, it was like my dreams had just came true..."
  (Armand, [51:56])

• Provided the physical hardware to his hacker friends, enabling them to counterfeit Xbox consoles and leading to an estimated $121 million loss for Microsoft ([58:09]).

7. The Law Closes In

• Microsoft conducted an internal sting, eventually confronting Armand at his QA job with evidence (photos, chat logs) and terminating him ([61:31]).
• A member of his group had snitched, out of jealousy ([62:12]).
• Quote:

  "At that point, my heart sank and I knew the gig was up. I didn't know what was there, but I knew everything finally had come crumbling down."
  (Armand, [61:43])

8. From Cybercrime to Fraud Addiction

• With the FBI and courts looming, Armand’s cybercrimes shifted from virtual goods to real-world credit card fraud, exploiting weaknesses in payment systems using sophisticated card-writing technology ([69:44], [73:51]).
• He used the alias "Aiden Pearce" (from the game Watch Dogs) on fake IDs and cards ([78:48]), conducting large-scale fraud across the country.

9. Arrest, Jail, and the Turning Point

• Caught with 16 fake credit cards and drugs en route to Las Vegas, he faced 25 felonies and a $2 million bail ([79:52], [80:12]).
• Spent four months in jail under the alias "John Doe" before his parents intervened ([81:09]).
• Avoided trial by accepting a plea deal requiring him to cooperate with the FBI and assist with cybercrime investigations ([83:27]).

10. Life on Both Sides of the Law

• Worked as an informant for the FBI, specializing in dark net markets and credit card fraud, while at one point continuing to commit fraud ("pulling an Albert Gonzalez") ([88:37]).
• Eventually caught again after scamming a policeman’s son and spent another six months in jail ([91:07]).

11. Rehabilitation and Giving Back

• Final court case required community service; helped develop a food donation app for the homeless ([93:58]), which impressed the judge and kept him out of prison.
• Now runs a legitimate cybersecurity business—The Good Hackers—focusing on penetration testing, incident response, and helping fraud and scam victims ([98:23]).
• Continues to struggle with temptation but is committed to "hacking for good."
• Quote:

  "I think it's important for me because of all the people that I hurt without noticing during the way... I don't want to give that to people, if that makes sense."
  (Armand, [95:47])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Botnets and Power

  "I'm already hacked Microsoft. I've already hacked all these other top Fortune companies. What's my school network?"
  (Armand, [34:14])

• On Physical Infiltration

  “I go in dressed up fully as Microsoft gear...with a backpack.”
  (Armand, [54:44])

• On the Irony of Getting Caught

  "I apply for a job at Microsoft, I get accepted...and I get assigned a game. The game is called Watchdogs. The game is all about hacking..."
  (Armand, [58:29]-[59:41])

• On Legal Consequences

  "I got hit with more than 25 felonies...I thought I was never gonna see the light of day."
  (Armand, [79:52]-[80:12])

• On Redemption

  "Knowing that [lifelong computer ban] was at risk, I was like, I have to do good. I have to do as much good as I can...to pay it forward."
  (Armand, [94:50])

Important Timestamps

• Armand's first computer experiences: [04:35]
• Becoming a botnet master & selling hacks: [09:31], [18:31]
• First time police got involved at school: [29:36]
• Joining Xbox Underground: [41:00]
• Multiple break-ins at Microsoft: [50:23]-[52:36]
• The FBI sting at Microsoft: [61:31]-[62:12]
• Addiction to credit card fraud: [70:04]-[74:00]
• National scope of credit card fraud losses: [74:54]
• Arrest and jail with fake identity: [78:46]-[81:09]
• Turning informant to the FBI: [84:18]-[88:12]
• Backslide into fraud ("Albert Gonzalez"): [88:37]
• Final sentence and transition to hacking for good: [93:58]-[95:47]
• Plug for Armand’s business, The Good Hackers: [98:23]

Tone and Style

The episode is a mix of raw confession, technical insight, and redemption arc. Armand is candidly self-reflective, often darkly humorous about his exploits, and honest about the harm caused. Mariana’s probing questions and her balance of fascination and moral concern help draw out nuanced introspection.

For Listeners & Takeaways

• This is a rare, unfiltered look at how childlike curiosity can develop into serious crime if unchecked—and how talent and obsession, tempered by experience, can be redirected to serve good.
• Armand’s story is both a warning and an inspiration, highlighting the importance of ethical choices in technology and the possibility of second chances.

Contact/Resources

Armand’s White Hat Cybersecurity Firm:
thegoodhackers.com ([98:23])

Need cybersecurity help or suspect a scam?
— Contact The Good Hackers for ethical security services

End of Summary