Meta’s Major Win Against Malware Maker
U.S. tech giant Meta has been awarded over $167 million in damages in its lawsuit against Israeli spyware developer NSO Group. The legal action stemmed from allegations that NSO’s spyware “Pegasus” targeted 1,400 journalists and human rights activists across 20 countries via WhatsApp in 2019. The report was confirmed by Engadget.
A U.S. jury on Tuesday granted Meta $444,719 in compensatory and $167,254,000 in punitive damages. A spokesperson for Meta’s WhatsApp division described the verdict as “an important message against the spyware industry operating unlawfully.”
Although NSO claims it provides its technology solely to government agencies, the court ruled that the company violated the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act through its activities.
Meta now seeks further legal measures to ensure WhatsApp remains protected from future intrusions by NSO Group.
