Meta alleges NSO violated spyware injunction with new WhatsApp attacks
Summary
Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, accused the spyware maker NSO Group of breaking a court order that stops NSO from targeting WhatsApp users. Meta said it discovered NSO trying to trick users with phishing attacks and is asking the court to hold NSO in contempt for this violation.Key Facts
- NSO Group is an Israeli company that created Pegasus spyware, used to spy on people’s phones.
- The US government put NSO on a blacklist in 2021 because it supplied spyware to foreign governments for spying on officials and others.
- WhatsApp won a court injunction in 2023 that stopped NSO from targeting its users and was awarded damages.
- A judge lowered the damages but kept the injunction, which NSO is trying to overturn in court.
- Meta caught NSO trying to trick users with phishing attacks by sending malicious links through WhatsApp.
- Meta said NSO made fake WhatsApp accounts and groups, which Meta removed.
- NSO’s spyware can take full control of a phone, accessing messages, calls, location, and more, even if data is encrypted.
- The Knight First Amendment Institute supports keeping restrictions on NSO due to the threat spyware poses to freedom of expression and press.
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