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  "path": "/story/26/02/12/0615244/us-hacking-tool-boss-stole-and-sold-exploits-to-russian-broker-that-could-target-millions-of-devices-doj-says?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-12T09:08:23.228Z",
  "site": "https://news.slashdot.org",
  "tags": [
    "usa",
    "Read more of this story"
  ],
  "textContent": "Federal prosecutors have revealed that Peter Williams, the former general manager of U.S. defense contractor L3Harris's hacking tools division Trenchant, sold eight stolen software exploits to a Russian broker whose customers -- including the Russian government -- could have used them to access \"millions of computers and devices around the world.\" Williams, a 39-year-old Australian national, pleaded guilty in October and admitted to earning more than $1.3 million in cryptocurrency from the sales between 2022 and 2025. In a sentencing memorandum filed Tuesday ahead of his anticipated February 24 sentencing in a Washington, D.C., federal court, the Justice Department asked the judge for nine years in prison, $35 million in restitution, and a maximum fine of $250,000. Prosecutors described the unnamed Russian buyer -- believed to be Operation Zero, which publicly claims to sell only to the Russian government -- as \"one of the world's most nefarious exploit brokers.\" Williams chose it because, by his own admission, \"he knew they paid the most.\" He also oversaw the wrongful firing of a subordinate who was blamed for the theft.\n\n \n\nRead more of this story at Slashdot.",
  "title": "US Hacking Tool Boss Stole and Sold Exploits To Russian Broker That Could Target Millions of Devices, DOJ Says",
  "updatedAt": "2026-02-12T09:00:00.000Z"
}