Infosec exec sold eight zero-day exploit kits to Russia, says DoJ

The former General Manager of defense contractor L3Harris’s cyber subsidiary Trenchant sold eight zero-day exploit kits to Russia, according to a court filing last week. We first wrote about this case in October 2025, when former Trenchant boss Peter Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of trade secrets – but court …

[Anonymous Coward]

Smart move?

0APT scamming the scammers, it's like getting ripped off by a dealer, who are you going to report them to?

[LazLong]

Is this even a crime under this administration?

Wouldn't Trump praise this person as an exemplary entrepreneur?

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Is this even a crime under this administration?

Not for a mere $35M, anything under $0.5Bn is a crime.

$0.5 - $1Bn is a cabinet post and above $1Bn is a pardon and free golf club membership

[the Jim bloke]

Re: Is this even a crime under this administration?

the 'free' golf club membership does require ongoing investment in certain businesses, plus some trivial campaign donations.. a million here, a few there..

but you get total immunity to any criminal prosecution, and freedom from any tax obligation..

[66663333]

Re: Is this even a crime under this administration?

The infosec guy can offer pro-bono cyber security services to Trump's favorite allies in exchange for a pardon and being immune to his "my feelings got hurt :(" lawsuits.

[JLV]

Apparently Williams got $1.3M for those exploits.

Worth mentioning in this type of coverage (repeating actually, since previous Reg coverage has it). Sometimes people risk decades of jail time on spy charges for a gain of $20k or so. 8-/

https://www.claytonrice.com/cyber-brokers-are-the-next-international-arms-dealers/

[66663333]

I wonder if he had an outstanding debt that made him desperate for some quick cash. Apparently that can lead to easy extortion. I wonder how many cyber sec CEOs routinely get bribe emails from foreign cartels and governments. Hmm

Or is there a certain way they can set up a secret, off the books email address, to advertise that they're open to "recruitment?" No way that foreign spy agencies would communicate over normal emails, or at least restrict the first contact to them.

[dmesg]

I once applied to a job, thought about it for a day, then withdraw the application. Sysadmin in a company that runs a number of state lottery systems. Main reason was I didn't want to be part of a gambling operation, no matter who ran it. But also didn't want a big coercion/extortion target on my back.

[IGnatius T Foobar !]

Ru-who?

I am baffled by the fact that people are still pretending Russia is a thing. It is China who is actively trying to topple the West.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Ru-who?

That's just what they want you to think

[the Jim bloke]

Re: Ru-who?

China is not trying to topple the west (currently, actively)

they were fairly aggressive a decade ago, but now, they can just sit back, act like adults, and the rest of the world is just falling into their laps.

When your opponent is doing something stupid, dont interrupt them

It was probably some American that made the comment, but it is advice to live by.

[Antifa - Ost]

Re: Ru-who?

Chinese watch their own interests, only Ruzzians s#it in the honey jars of everyone else only because.. they can. But agree: China is much more of a threat than Putinistan in the long run. Putinistan was, is and always will be just a joke of a country.