A US federal court has ordered the developer of the Pegasus spyware, the Israeli company NSO Group, to pay the WhatsApp messenger and its parent company Meta almost $170 million.
According to Politico, this is compensation for the fact that NSO Group’s developments were used to hack 1,400 WhatsApp accounts.
“Today’s verdict in the WhatsApp case is an important step forward for privacy and security, as it is the first victory against the development and use of illegal spyware that threatens the security and privacy of everyone,” the statement on the Meta website said.
The hacking of 1,400 user accounts, many of whom were engaged in human rights activities, occurred in 2019. The hackers took advantage of a vulnerability in the WhatsApp video calling system. When this became known, the company that owns the messenger went to court. Apple also filed a lawsuit against NSO Group for using spyware against its users. However, the company withdrew the lawsuit last year, deciding that it could expose sensitive data about Apple users.
NSO Group said it was considering appealing the case.
The US Commerce Department imposed sanctions on NSO Group in 2021 because Pegasus was used to spy on journalists, human rights activists, and dissidents around the world. The European Parliament has created a committee to investigate the use of Pegasus in EU countries. NSO Group says it only sells equipment to government customers.
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