NSO Group Ordered to Pay $168M to WhatsApp for Hacking

A federal jury in California has ordered Israeli spyware maker NSO Group to pay Meta, owner of WhatsApp, $167 million in punitive damages and additional compensatory damages for hacking into about 1,400 WhatsApp user accounts using its Pegasus surveillance tool. The verdict, the result of a six-year legal battle, marks a significant victory for privacy advocates and sets a precedent for holding spyware manufacturers accountable for illegal surveillance activities targeting journalists, human rights activists, and government officials. The court found that NSO Group violated cybersecurity laws by exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in WhatsApp, prompting swift patching by Meta’s engineers. Meta and WhatsApp celebrated the decision as a critical deterrent to the spyware industry and have announced plans to publish court transcripts and support digital rights organizations. NSO Group, which maintains its technology is used to prevent crime and terrorism by authorized government agencies, has indicated it will appeal the ruling. The case highlights ongoing industry-wide threats posed by sophisticated spyware and the legal challenges of balancing security tools with privacy rights.