A federal jury ordered NSO Group to pay WhatsApp approximately 8 million for unlawfully exploiting its servers to deploy Pegasus spyware against over 1,400 individuals worldwide. This ruling marks a significant victory for privacy advocates and human rights groups who have long criticized NSO Group’s activities. The lawsuit, initiated by WhatsApp in 2019, highlights serious violations of U.S. laws and raises concerns about the dangers posed by spyware technology.
Keypoints :
- NSO Group must pay WhatsApp 8 million in damages for violating U.S. laws.
- The espionage targeted journalists, activists, and dissidents across 51 countries.
- WhatsApp’s voice calling feature vulnerability was exploited to deploy the spyware.
- The case underscores significant legal accountability for spyware developers.
- WhatsApp plans to donate to digital rights organizations and seeks to prevent future NSO targeting.
- NSO Group claims its technology is essential for combating serious crime and terrorism.
- Apple previously filed a similar lawsuit against NSO Group but dropped it in 2024.
Read More: https://thehackernews.com/2025/05/nso-group-fined-168m-for-targeting-1400.html