In its new statement shared on its official blog page, WhatsApp announced that spyware producer NSO Group continues to target its users with spearfishing attacks. The company made a formal application to the federal court, demanding that the Israeli company be found at fault for contempt of court.

The legal effort between WhatsApp and NSO Group has been continuing since 2019. Spyware called Pegasus, developed by NSO, was sold to many governments and used in espionage activities.

Names of the purpose of Pegasus software

Among the individuals secretly monitored with Pegasus are hundreds of company executives, religious figures, academics and NGO workers. In addition, union officials and government officials are among the targets of this spyware.

Following these events, NSO Group was banned by the United States. Technology giant Apple also filed a lawsuit against the company in the past years due to the software being infected with iPhone devices.

Legal process of Meta and WhatsApp

Before Apple, WhatsApp’s parent company Meta had also initiated legal proceedings against NSO Group. This initiative reached a valuable legal result in 2024.

A Northern California federal judge held NSO Group liable for targeting the devices of 1,400 WhatsApp users. The court ruled that the company violated state and federal provisions, as well as the messaging platform’s terms of service.

NSO Group’s activities and the impact of this type of spyware on personal data have been on the agenda of the technology world for a long time. WhatsApp emphasizes that it will continue to take legal action to protect user security.

What do you think about these types of spyware attacks?