DOJ says Trenchant boss sold exploits to Russian broker capable of accessing millions of computers and devices

Federal prosecutors confirmed in a sentencing memorandum that a former executive at Trenchant sold eight stolen hacking tools to a Russian broker. The Justice Department said the exploits would have allowed the broker and its customers to potentially access millions of computers and devices around the world, including in the United States. Prosecutors said the sales directly harmed the U.S. intelligence community by providing the tools to a company with ties to the Russian government. The tools could enable indiscriminate government surveillance, cybercrime and ransomware attacks globally, according to the document. The former Trenchant general manager, an Australian national, pleaded guilty to the theft and sales. He received more than 1.3 million dollars in cryptocurrency in exchange for the tools between 2022 and 2025, the Justice Department said. Prosecutors described the broker as one of the world's most nefarious exploit brokers and said the executive chose it because he knew it paid the most. The executive continued the sales even while aware that the FBI was investigating the theft and sale of the company's hacking tools.