Meta's WhatsApp caught NSO Group attempting to hack its users again, despite a court order prohibiting such activity.
According to TechCrunch's report, WhatsApp disrupted a spear-phishing campaign last Monday in which NSO tried to trick users into clicking malicious links that would install Pegasus spyware on their phones. The attackers created test accounts and groups on the platform before WhatsApp shut them down.
WhatsApp says NSO's new attack violates a permanent injunction issued last year as part of a years-long lawsuit. The company is seeking to hold NSO in contempt of court for ignoring what a judge explicitly ordered.
This repeats a pattern. In 2019, NSO targeted over 1,400 WhatsApp users in a hacking campaign. A jury ordered NSO to pay $167 million in damages, later reduced to $4 million. The 2024 campaign in Jordan used similar phishing tactics.
NSO Group has faced years of scrutiny. Security researchers and journalists have documented how government hackers used the company's Pegasus spyware to target activists, dissidents, human rights workers, and political opponents worldwide. The U.S. government blacklisted the company. Other tech giants like Meta have fought back with lawsuits and new security features designed to stop government-grade spyware.
NSO did not respond to requests for comment.
WhatsApp is pursuing the contempt case as NSO continues its efforts, setting up another legal battle over cyber-security.
