WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - A former executive with

U.S. defense contractor L3Harris ( LHX ) has pleaded guilty to selling

digital spy tools to a Russian broker, the Justice Department

announced Wednesday.

In a statement, the department said Peter Williams, a

39-year-old Australian, pleaded to two counts of theft of trade

secrets. It said he took "at least eight sensitive and protected

cyber-exploit components" from his job and sold them to "a

Russian cyber-tools broker" that publicly claims to resell cyber

spying tools to customers including the Russian government.

The statement did not identify Williams' employer by name, but

UK business records identify him as a former executive with

L3Harris Trenchant, a subsidiary of the American defense firm

L3Harris ( LHX ), Reuters has previously reported.

Reuters was unable to ascertain the identity of the Russian

broker, which the Justice Department did not identify. The

details of the "cyber-exploit components" were also left

undisclosed, although the department said they "were meant to be

sold exclusively to the U.S. government and select allies."

A lawyer for Williams did not immediately return a message

seeking comment. The Justice Department did not immediately

return emails. L3Harris ( LHX ) declined to comment.

In cybersecurity parlance, an exploit refers to a piece of

code used to take advantage of a software vulnerability,

typically for the purpose of espionage, theft, or sabotage.

Exploits are a key ingredient in cyber surveillance software and

they're typically closely guarded by their developers.

Higher-end exploits can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars

or more in the murky international market for spy tools.

In the statement, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro

compared cyber brokers to "the next wave of international arms

dealers." She said Williams' conduct caused over $35 million in

losses and provided foreigners with cyber exploits "that were

likely used against numerous unsuspecting victims."