U.S. Slaps Sanctions on Exploit Brokers Linked to Theft of Government Hacking Tools

The United States Department of the Treasury has launched a major crackdown on a shadowy network of exploit brokers trafficking stolen U.S. government cyber tools.

On February 24, 2026, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) slapped sanctions on Russian national Sergey Zelenyuk and his firm, Operation Zero, along with key affiliates.

This bold move targets threats to national security and American intellectual property, amid rising malicious cyber threats like those exploiting stolen tools.

Stolen Tools Fuel Global Threat Pipeline

Operation Zero runs as a ruthless exploit broker, dangling huge cash rewards to researchers who expose flaws in U.S.-made software.

The group recently snapped up at least eight ultra-sensitive cyber tools built solely for the U.S. government and its allies.

These came from Peter Williams, an Australian ex-employee of a U.S. defense contractor. From 2022 to 2025, Williams snuck out these trade secrets and sold them to Operation Zero for millions in cryptocurrency.

Zelenyuk wasted no time turning these assets into profit. He marketed them aggressively to intelligence outfits in non-NATO nations, creating a dangerous pipeline for foreign foes.

Such tools could power devastating ransomware strikes or siphon data from large language models and chat apps.

The U.S. responded with sanctions under the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, the first ever under this law. Full details are in the Treasury’s press release.

The penalties reach far beyond Zelenyuk, ripping apart his network spanning Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.

His aide, Marina Vasanovich, faces blocks, as does UAE firm Special Technology Services, which Zelenyuk dominates.

Ties run deep into cybercrime: associate Oleg Kucherov links to the infamous Trickbot gang, known for crippling ransomware attacks on U.S. hospitals.

Uzbekistan’s Azizjon Mamashoyev drew fire for his firm, Advance Security Solutions, which apes Operation Zero’s playbook.

All U.S.-held assets of these players are now frozen. Americans can’t touch business with them, on pain of penalties.

This action signals zero tolerance for IP theft feeding adversary arsenals. Cybersecurity experts warn it could curb black-market tool flows, but brokers may just pivot underground.

As nation-state rivalries heat up, expect more such enforcements to shield critical tech.

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