Meta secured a $167 million judgment against an Israeli cybersecurity firm

Following a six-year legal battle, the Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO Group has been ordered by a U.S. court to pay $167 million in damages to Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp. The ruling comes after Judge Phyllis Hamilton determined in December that NSO Group violated cybersecurity laws by deploying its Pegasus spyware to infiltrate approximately 1,400 WhatsApp accounts across 20 countries. The targeted individuals included journalists, human-rights activists, and government officials, highlighting the potential for such technology to be used for surveillance and the suppression of dissent.

WhatsApp

The lawsuit, initiated by WhatsApp in 2019, accused NSO Group of unauthorised access to its servers. The recent jury decision on damages followed arguments presented last week and two days of deliberation. Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, hailed the verdict as a significant deterrent to the broader spyware industry, emphasising the need for a collective defense against such illegal activities targeting American companies and their global user base. WhatsApp has announced its intention to donate the awarded damages to digital rights organisations dedicated to protecting individuals.

Despite the verdict, NSO Group's vice president for global communication, Gil Lainer, stated the company's intent to pursue legal remedies, including further proceedings and an appeal. NSO Group maintains that its technology plays a crucial role in preventing serious crime and terrorism and is deployed responsibly by authorised government agencies. The trial itself provided unprecedented insight into NSO Group's capabilities, revealing their ability to install the Pegasus software on mobile devices without the user's knowledge, even through methods requiring no interaction from the target.

The implications of this case extend beyond the immediate financial penalty. Experts like John Scott-Railton from Citizen Lab suggest that this verdict will significantly damage NSO Group's business model, which relies on hacking American companies to facilitate the surveillance of dissidents by authoritarian regimes. The ruling sends a clear message about the legal repercussions for companies involved in the development and deployment of invasive spyware, potentially influencing the future of the cybersecurity industry and the ongoing debate surrounding digital privacy and government surveillance.