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4mo ago

Meta Wins $167M Verdict Against NSO Group for WhatsApp Spyware Hack

A California jury awarded Meta punitive and compensatory damages after NSO Group's Pegasus spyware targeted 1,400 WhatsApp users in 2019.

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Illustration of a judge's gavel on a digital background resembling a computer circuit board.
Amnesty International members and supporters demonstrate against the presence of the NSO Group at the International Security Expo in London, 28 September 2021. The NSO Group's Pegasus spyware has been used to target human rights defenders, journalists and Amnesty staff. In July 2021 Amnesty launched the Pegasus Project, an in-depth investigation in collaboration with the Forbidden Stories network of journalists which exposes the global scale of abuses involving NSO Group. The investigation looked into the leak of 50,000 phone numbers of potential surveillance targets, including heads of state, HRDs and journalists.   Despite NSO Group’s track record of supplying is surveillance tools to governments whom have repeatedly misused them to target HRDs and civil society, they are still being allowed to exhibit their wares with no accountability. The Expo’s advisory committee includes several high-level UK policing and intelligence officials. NSO Group has still been invited despite a number of British residents having been targeted / selected for potential targeting through the use of Pegasus in recent years.

Overview

  • The jury awarded $167.3 million in punitive damages and $444,719 in compensatory damages to Meta's WhatsApp unit for the 2019 hack.
  • NSO Group exploited a zero-click vulnerability in WhatsApp to install Pegasus spyware on devices, targeting journalists, activists, and officials in over 20 countries.
  • This ruling follows a December 2024 judgment finding NSO in violation of U.S. anti-hacking laws and marks the first legal victory against an illicit spyware vendor.
  • WhatsApp plans to seek an injunction to prevent future targeting by NSO and to donate any recovered damages to organizations combating spyware.
  • NSO has announced plans to appeal the verdict, maintaining that its technology is used responsibly by government clients to prevent crime and terrorism.