Meta to take legal action against Israeli spyware company NSO

Meta Filing Contempt Order Against NSO Group Over WhatsApp Disruptions

A federal US court contempt order has been filed by Meta against Israeli spyware firm NSO Group for allegedly violating a permanent injunction that barred it from targeting WhatsApp and its users. The company stated in a blog post on Monday that its WhatsApp messaging service disrupted new spear phishing attempts linked to NSO.

According to Meta, these attempts were similar to previous “1-click phishing campaigns” aimed at tricking users into clicking malicious links and directing them to external websites. A “1-click” is a type of cyberattack where a single click on a malicious link or attachment can compromise a victim’s device or account without requiring credentials.

Meta reported that it took down test accounts and groups created by NSO on its platform. The company stated that WhatsApp had previously been the subject of a US court order, which required NSO to stop targeting Meta’s service. In 2022, a US court reduced the punitive damages owed by NSO to Meta from $167m to $4m.

NSO Group has not yet responded to a request for comment from Reuters. Last month, Meta joined forces with 12 prominent civil rights organizations, security researchers, and digital rights experts in filing amicus briefs to support the permanent injunction against NSO’s appeal.

Source: Al Jazeera