US Sanctions Russian Cybersecurity Firm Over Stolen Government Tools
At the center of the action is Operation Zero, a St. Petersburg-based company led by Sergey Zelenyuk, which US authorities allege trades in software exploits—code that takes advantage of program vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access or steal data. Washington claims the firm offered cash rewards to anyone providing information about weaknesses in US software.
US officials say at least eight tools were stolen from an American company by a former employee and sold to unauthorized users. That employee, Australian national Peter Williams, pleaded guilty in October to two counts of trade secret theft after admitting to selling the tools to Operation Zero over three years in exchange for millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.
Five other individuals and entities connected to Zelenyuk were also sanctioned, including his assistant and a suspected member of a cybercrime gang. Another exploit brokerage, Advance Security Solutions, which reportedly runs a similar program targeting US software, was also designated.
The State Department imposed sanctions on Zelenyuk, Operation Zero, and the affiliated UAE company Special Technology Services LLC FZ under legislation aimed at protecting American intellectual property.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, "If you steal US trade secrets, we will hold you accountable."
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