Meta escalates legal battle with Israeli spyware firm NSO over WhatsApp attacks

Meta said on Monday it is filing a federal court contempt order against Israeli spyware firm NSO Group for violating a permanent injunction that barred it from ever targeting WhatsApp and its users.

The company said its WhatsApp messaging service disrupted new spear phishing attempts linked to NSO, an entity blacklisted by the US government and identified as a national security risk.

These attempts were similar to previous "1-click phishing campaigns," aimed to trick users into clicking malicious links and direct them to external websites, Meta said in a blogpost.

WhatsApp took down test accounts and groups created by NSO on its platform. NSO did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Last year, a US court ordered NSO to stop targeting Meta's WhatsApp, a development the spyware company warned could put it out of business. Cybernews has previously reported that the ruling followed years of legal action by Meta over alleged spyware activity that caused significant harm.

The court also reduced the damages award from about $168 million to $4 million. The judge ruled there was not enough evidence to justify the higher punitive amount.

Meta welcomed the decision, calling it an important precedent for holding spyware firms accountable. NSO argued it only sells its Pegasus technology to government clients for lawful use.

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