Meta hailed the verdict as a milestone for digital privacy and security, stating, “Today’s verdict in the WhatsApp case marks a significant advancement for privacy and security, representing the first triumph against the creation and utilization of unlawful spyware that endangers the safety and privacy of individuals”. The verdict, delivered on Tuesday, concludes a six-year legal battle between Meta Platforms, the parent company of WhatsApp, and NSO Group, whose Pegasus spyware was used to hack the messaging app’s users around the world. A federal jury in California has ordered Israeli spyware maker NSO Group to pay WhatsApp approximately $168 million in damages, marking a watershed moment in the fight against commercial cyberespionage. Meta-owned WhatsApp filed the lawsuit in 2019 after discovering that Pegasus, NSO’s powerful surveillance tool, had been used to infiltrate the devices of about 1,400 users, including journalists, human rights activists, and government officials, across 20 countries. NSO Group, for its part, defended its technology as a tool for fighting crime and terrorism, and indicated plans to appeal the verdict, arguing that the jury was not allowed to consider evidence about the alleged positive uses of Pegasus by government agencies. Legal experts and human rights advocates say the ruling sets a precedent for holding spyware vendors accountable for abuses, dealing a major blow to one of the world’s most prolific surveillance firms. As the spyware industry continues to grow, the outcome of this case is expected to influence ongoing debates about surveillance, privacy, and the responsibilities of technology providers worldwide. Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, called the ruling a “critical deterrent to the spyware industry against their unlawful activities directed at American companies and our global users”. Testimony revealed that NSO charged government clients millions of dollars to hack devices via Pegasus, and that the company continued to update its tools even after WhatsApp patched vulnerabilities and initiated the lawsuit. The spyware exploited a zero-click vulnerability, enabling attackers to compromise phones without any user interaction, granting access to messages, emails, calls, and even the ability to remotely activate cameras and microphones. The jury awarded $444,719 in compensatory damages to cover WhatsApp’s costs to patch the exploited vulnerabilities and an additional $167.3 million in punitive damages to deter similar conduct in the future.
This Cyber News was published on cybersecuritynews.com. Publication date: Wed, 07 May 2025 02:15:01 +0000