The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Matrix LLC (Operation Zero), its owner Sergey Zelenyuk, and associated entities for buying stolen zero-day exploits sold by a former L3Harris cyber unit executive. The designations, the first under the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act (PAIPA), coincide with the sentencing of Peter Williams for stealing and selling eight Trenchant exploits to Operation Zero. #OperationZero #L3Harris
Keypoints
- OFAC designated Matrix LLC (Operation Zero), Sergey Zelenyuk, and related entities under PAIPA for trading in stolen cyber exploits.
- Peter Williams, former Trenchant general manager at L3Harris, was sentenced to 87 months for stealing and selling eight zero-day exploits.
- Operation Zero purchased the exploits for about $1.3 million in cryptocurrency and offers bounties for exploits targeting widely used software.
- Sanctions also targeted a UAE front company (Special Technology Services LLC), Advance Security Solutions, and individuals with ties to Trickbot.
- U.S. sanctions freeze U.S.-held assets of the designated parties and expose counterparties to secondary sanctions or enforcement actions.