Defense Contractor Employee Jailed for Selling 8 Zero-Days to Russian Broker

A former senior L3Harris employee, Peter Williams, was sentenced to over seven years after admitting he stole and sold eight zero-day exploit components to Russian exploit broker Operation Zero between 2022–2025 for up to $4M in cryptocurrency; U.S. prosecutors described the tools as capable of enabling fraud, theft, ransomware and state-directed spying. The U.S. government also issued OFAC and State Department designations against Operation Zero and affiliated individuals/entities, estimated L3Harris losses at $35M, and reported that the broker sought buyers and bounties for high-value mobile and messaging exploits, though the report does not confirm active exploitation.