Spyware attack on WhatsApp: NSO has to pay $ 168 million on Meta

Five months after the victory of WhatsApp in the legal dispute against the Spyware manufacturer NSO Group, a jury awarded the Messenger of the US group META almost $ 168 million (around 148 million euros). This is reported by the court magazine Courthouse News Service, citing the decision made in California. Accordingly, the sum consists of almost $ 445,000 in compensation for the removal of the damage from the attacks by the Israeli company and more than $ 167 million pure compensation. Meta welcomed the decision and described the “malignant industry” as an important deterrent.

The proceedings were all about the accusation that the NSO Group is said to have violated various laws with the provision and installation of the Spionage software Pegasus, including the federal law on computer fraud and abuse. Meta had sued because Irechen access to their own servers was found at WhatsApp at the beginning of 2019, through which NSO enabled 1400 people, including journalists and journalists. NSO has always argued that your own work was carried out on behalf of foreign governments and that the spyware was supported by law enforcement authorities and intelligence services in fighting crime.

Meta is not yet finished

At Christmas, the responsible judge WhatsApp agreed, since then it was only open what consequences the judgment would have for the NSO Group. In addition, Meta and NSO, as well as developers who have fended off the attack. According to the Courthouse News Service If the Managing Director of the Israeli company testified that his company is in financial difficulties and would not be able to pay any compensation for Meta. He has not commented on the jury decision now. However, the legal dispute has not yet been completed, so whatsapp plans a permanent injunction to prohibit NSO further attacks on WhatsApp.

After the decision, WhatsApp has now published transcripts of the NSO managers’ surveys, “So that researchers and journalists and journalists can examine the dangers and work on the protection of the population“. Further transcripts of the court should be made public as soon as they are available. In the meantime, it has once again assured that one continues to assume that your own spyware helps with the fight against crime and is” responsible “. On X he writes: “Nobody likes companies that help dictators hack dissidents.”