NSO has, for years, been accused of facilitating human rights abuses through its flagship hacking tool, Pegasus.
US judge issues permanent injunction preventing NSO group from hacking messaging platform WhatsApp. PHOTO: PIXABAY
A US court has ordered Israel’s NSO Group to stop targeting Meta Platforms’ messaging service WhatsApp, a development the spyware company warned could put it out of business.
In a 25-page ruling issued on Friday, US District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton issued a permanent injunction against NSO Group’s attempts to hack into WhatsApp, one of the world’s most widely used communication platforms.
Hamilton also gave NSO a significant break on damages awarded in a recently concluded jury trial, reducing the punitive damages it owes Meta from about $167 million to $4 million.
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The order is likely to pose a challenge to NSO, which has for years been accused of facilitating human rights abuses through its flagship hacking tool, Pegasus.
Pegasus exploits weaknesses in shared pieces of software to enable its surveillance, making WhatsApp one of its biggest targets.
NSO had previously argued that an injunction preventing it from going after WhatsApp “would put NSO’s entire business at risk” and “force NSO to cease operations,” according to the ruling.
Meta executives celebrated the decision.
“Today’s decision bars spyware maker NSO from targeting WhatsApp and our global users again,” WhatsApp chief Will Cathcart told X. “We welcome this decision, which comes after six years of litigation to hold NSO accountable for targeting members of civil society.”
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NSO, which has long insisted its products fight serious crime and terrorism, said it welcomed the 97 percent reduction in punitive damages and said the ban did not apply to NSO customers, “who will continue to use the company’s technology to protect public safety.”
The company said it would review the decision and “determine its next steps accordingly.”
The company was recently bought by a group led by Hollywood producer Robert Simonds, according to a report earlier this month in tech publication TechCrunch. Simonds did not immediately return an email.
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