Former L3Harris Trenchant boss jailed for selling hacking tools to Russian broker | TechCrunch

TechCrunch

by Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai

February 24, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

Peter Williams, the former general manager of L3Harris Trenchant—a U.S. defense contractor that specializes in selling hacking and surveillance tools—has been sentenced to seven years in prison for stealing and selling sensitive company technologies to a Russian firm. Williams, who pleaded guilty last year, admitted to selling trade secrets worth millions to Operation Zero, a broker that resells such tools to the Russian government and its affiliates. The hacking tools he sold could potentially grant access to millions of computers worldwide, raising significant security concerns. L3Harris Trenchant is known for providing advanced surveillance tools, often referred to as "zero-days," to the U.S. government and its Five Eyes allies. These tools are highly sensitive and designed for use by authorized entities only. However, Williams exploited his position to steal proprietary information and sell it to Operation Zero, a company that offers bounties for details on security vulnerabilities in popular devices like Android and iPhone, as well as messaging apps such as Telegram. The U.S. Treasury Department has since sanctioned Operation Zero, identifying it as the broker involved in this case. Williams, an Australian citizen living in Washington, D.C., earned $1.3 million in cryptocurrency from these sales between 2022 and 2025. His actions not only breached the trust of his former employer but also posed a significant threat to global cybersecurity by enabling potential unauthorized access to critical systems. This case highlights the dangers of insider threats and the exploitation of sensitive technology for profit. It underscores the importance of safeguarding trade secrets and the risks associated with selling such tools to adversarial nations. The sentencing of Williams serves as a stark reminder of the legal consequences of misusing advanced hacking technologies and emphasizes the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect against similar threats in the future.

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Originally published on TechCrunch on 2/24/2026