An Australian executive who pleaded guilty to selling sensitive cyber tools to a Russian broker was paid in crypto under contracts promising millions more, placing crypto at the center of a case prosecutors say endangered Five Eyes intelligence capabilities.

Prosecutors alleged Peter Williams, an Australian national and U.S. resident, sold eight protected cyber-exploit components, including zero-day capabilities, to a Russia-based broker known to do business with the Russian government.

The tools were developed for use by the U.S. intelligence community and shared with Five Eyes partners, a signals intelligence alliance that includes the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed in October…