A 39-year-old Australian national who previously worked for U.S. defence contractor L3Harris has been sentenced to a little over seven years in prison for selling eight zero-day exploits to the Russian exploit broker Operation Zero in exchange for millions of dollars.
Peter Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of trade secrets in October 2025, and, in addition to the prison term, was ordered to serve three years of supervised release with special conditions and to forfeit illicit proceeds—includes properties, clothing, jewellery and luxury watches purchased with cryptocurrency payments. The theft of the eight cyber-exploit components occurred over three years between 2022 and 2025, and the tools could have been used against civilian or military targets worldwide.
The U.S. authorities allege that Williams exploited his senior role to enrich himself at the expense of his employer and national security, with the tools potentially enabling access to millions of digital devices. The State Department designated Operation Zero (aka Matrix LLC) and linked entities under PAIPA, and the Treasury also sanctioned Zelenyuk, Operation Zero, STS and four others for distributing cyber tools harmful to U.S. national security, according to the officials.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg described the case as a stark warning to those who betray trust by selling sensitive American technology to foreign adversaries.