News Summary

WhatsApp has achieved a significant legal victory against NSO Group, the Israeli company behind the notorious Pegasus spyware. A U.S. federal judge ruled that NSO Group violated both state and federal hacking laws by infiltrating WhatsApp’s servers and infecting devices with Pegasus spyware. This decision comes five years after WhatsApp, owned by Meta, initially filed a lawsuit against NSO Group, accusing it of exploiting a vulnerability in WhatsApp’s audio-calling feature to target 1,400 users, including journalists, human rights activists, and government officials. Despite NSO’s claims that its software aids law enforcement, the court found substantial evidence of its unauthorized access and data extraction from users’ phones. The case is set to move to trial in March 2025 to determine the damages NSO Group must pay.