NSO Group Ordered to Pay $167 Million to Meta in WhatsApp Hacking Case
In a landmark ruling, the Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO Group has been ordered to pay $167 million in damages to Meta, concluding a extensive legal battle that stemmed from the hacking of 1,400 WhatsApp accounts, including those belonging to journalists, human rights activists, and government officials. U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton decreed that NSO Group had violated cybersecurity laws by deploying its notorious Pegasus spyware to infiltrate phones with WhatsApp, which boasts over two billion users, across 20 countries.
Meta, which owns WhatsApp, initiated the lawsuit in 2019, alleging unauthorized access to its servers. Following a jury’s decision after two days of deliberation, Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, expressed that the judgement serves as a deterrent against illegal actions in the spyware industry. He stated, “It’s an industrywide threat, and it’ll take all of us to defend against it.”
In a forward-looking move, WhatsApp plans to donate the awarded damages to digital rights organizations dedicated to protecting users’ online freedoms. NSO Group’s vice president, Gil Lainer, announced intentions to review the ruling and consider legal remedies, asserting that the technology is instrumental in combating serious crime and terrorism when used by legitimate authorities.
This case highlights the growing concerns around spyware, particularly as NSO Group’s practices have come under scrutiny, following previous lawsuits, including one from Apple, which was dropped last year. The recent trial revealed NSO’s capabilities to exploit vulnerabilities in messaging apps without user intervention, reinforcing the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures. As John Scott-Railton of Citizen Lab noted, this verdict sends a strong message to companies engaged in similar practices.
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