Overview

• The verdict concludes a five-year legal battle over NSO Group's use of Pegasus spyware to hack 1,400 WhatsApp users through zero-click attacks exploiting audio-call vulnerabilities.
• Meta was awarded $167.25 million in damages, with additional disclosures revealing NSO's precarious finances and operational details.
• Court-ordered depositions exposed Pegasus pricing, including $7 million for targeting 15 devices and extra fees for cross-border surveillance capabilities.
• NSO admitted to targeting WhatsApp users even after the lawsuit began, using updated exploits codenamed 'Hummingbird,' 'Erised,' 'Eden,' and 'Heaven.'
• The trial also revealed NSO's test of Pegasus on a U.S. phone number for the FBI, contradicting the company's claims about geographic targeting restrictions.