NSO Group Defies Court Order, Continues Targeting WhatsApp Users

The Court Order Violation

A spyware firm has been targeting WhatsApp users with malicious links in contravention of a US court order forbidding it from doing so, Meta has revealed. In a post, Meta stated that WhatsApp had "caught and disrupted spear phishing attempts" by NSO Group, which targeted a handful of users in Jordan and Lebanon. The company also caught NSO creating "test accounts and groups" on WhatsApp.

Spyware Tactics Against WhatsApp

NSO, founded in Israel but now under US ownership, built the Pegasus spyware - one of the most powerful surveillance tools ever developed. The spyware exploited a vulnerability in WhatsApp to infiltrate users' phones and harvest all their data including messages, photos, calls and more. Despite losing a court case against Meta for exploiting WhatsApp, the company appears to have resumed targeting users.

Legal Consequences and Financial Penalties

Last year, NSO lost a court case against Meta for exploiting WhatsApp to target people. Meta was initially awarded $167m in damages, though this was later reduced to $4m. More significantly, the court placed a permanent injunction against NSO barring it from targeting WhatsApp and its users. Meta now argues that the latest attacks show NSO has violated this injunction and has asked the court to hold the company in contempt of the order.

NSO's Market Strategy and Rebranding

Since the start of the Trump administration, reporting has suggested that NSO is searching for a way into the US market. The company is trying to get off the US commerce department "blacklist," which bars it from doing business with US companies without specific approval. NSO appointed David Friedman, the former US ambassador to Israel, as executive chair last autumn and has engaged a lobbying firm close to the US president in what appears to be an effort to rebrand as an ethical spyware company.

Meta's Response and Industry Implications

Meta has strongly denied allegations that WhatsApp can access users' encrypted communications, calling any such claims "false." The company's spokesperson Rachel Holland stated: "WhatsApp cannot access people's encrypted communications and any suggestion to the contrary is false." Industry experts note that NSO's continued targeting of WhatsApp despite court restrictions undermines its efforts to rebrand as an ethical company and gain access to the lucrative US market.