Legal Earthquake: US Court Permanently Bans NSO Group from Hacking WhatsApp
The Israeli company NSO Group, best known for developing the Pegasus spyware, has officially lost its right to interact with WhatsApp and its users. A U.S. federal court has granted Meta’s lawsuit, imposing a permanent injunction that forbids any future attempts by NSO Group to target the messenger or its infrastructure. The ruling concludes a six-year legal battle that began after the large-scale 2019 cyberattack, during which the accounts of more than 1,400 individuals—including human rights activists, lawyers, and journalists—were compromised via WhatsApp.
Earlier, a jury had ordered the company to pay Meta over $167.4 million in damages. However, the court later determined that the evidence was insufficient to deem NSO’s actions “extraordinarily outrageous.” Consequently, the punitive damages multiplier was reduced to a ninefold limit, bringing the total compensation down to approximately $4 million.
Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp, stated that the ruling not only reinforces the prohibition against any further interference by NSO but also establishes a legal precedent that protects millions of users worldwide from the intrusion of commercial surveillance operators. He emphasized that this victory represents the culmination of years of effort to hold companies accountable for supplying cyber-espionage tools used against civil society.
Meanwhile, NSO Group confirmed that it is currently undergoing acquisition by U.S. investors, a move that could alter its management structure and determine the future of its controversial technologies.
Support Our Threat Intelligence
If you find our technology report and cybersecurity news helpful, consider supporting our work.
Buy Me a Coffee
PayPal
