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All the dirty secrets of the Israeli Pegasus will soon be revealed.
In a court case that caused a significant public outcry, a US court ordered NSO Group, known as the manufacturer of one of the most powerful cyber weapons in the world — the Pegasus spyware, to transfer the code of this particular program, as well as other products for tracking the company's WhatsApp chats.
The court ruling was an important victory for WhatsApp, the Meta - owned messaging app that has been taking legal action against the NSO since 2019. The lawsuit was filed after it was revealed that the company's spyware was used against 1,400 WhatsApp users for two weeks, leaking their personal correspondence to the attackers servers.
NSO Group, which is closely controlled by the Israeli Defense Ministry, sells its products to foreign governments after a thorough review. Judge Phyllis Hamilton's decision was made despite the NSO's request to release her from all reporting obligations due to "various restrictions imposed by the United States and Israel."
As a result, NSO will have to provide WhatsApp with all relevant surveillance programs for the year before and after the specified two-week period, as well as information about the full functionality of the corresponding spyware. However, the judge ruled in favor of NSO on another issue: the company will not be required to disclose the names of its customers or information about its server architecture at this time.
The court's decision marks a significant milestone in WhatsApp's long-term goal of protecting its users from illegal attacks. The WhatsApp representative stressed the importance of understanding for spy companies and other attackers that they can be caught and will not be able to ignore the law. NSO Group declined to comment on the court's decision, and the trial itself is ongoing.
NSO's Pegasus can hack mobile phones, gaining unlimited access to calls, emails, photos, location information, and encrypted messages without the user's knowledge. In 2021, the Biden administration blacklisted NSO, saying that the actions of the Israeli manufacturer of spyware were contrary to US foreign policy and national security.
The NSO sells its spyware to government clients around the world, claiming that agencies using it are responsible for how it is used.
Although NSO does not disclose the names of its clients, research and media reports over the years have identified Poland, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, India, Hungary, and the United Arab Emirates among the countries that have used the technology to target dissidents, journalists, human rights defenders, and other civil society actors.
The Biden administration has expressed concern about the proliferation and misuse of products like Pegasus, pointing to a potential threat to U.S. national security and counterintelligence efforts. In early February, a new policy was even introduced , providing for the introduction of global visa restrictions for individuals involved in the misuse of commercial spyware, including EU countries and Israel.
In a court case that caused a significant public outcry, a US court ordered NSO Group, known as the manufacturer of one of the most powerful cyber weapons in the world — the Pegasus spyware, to transfer the code of this particular program, as well as other products for tracking the company's WhatsApp chats.
The court ruling was an important victory for WhatsApp, the Meta - owned messaging app that has been taking legal action against the NSO since 2019. The lawsuit was filed after it was revealed that the company's spyware was used against 1,400 WhatsApp users for two weeks, leaking their personal correspondence to the attackers servers.
NSO Group, which is closely controlled by the Israeli Defense Ministry, sells its products to foreign governments after a thorough review. Judge Phyllis Hamilton's decision was made despite the NSO's request to release her from all reporting obligations due to "various restrictions imposed by the United States and Israel."
As a result, NSO will have to provide WhatsApp with all relevant surveillance programs for the year before and after the specified two-week period, as well as information about the full functionality of the corresponding spyware. However, the judge ruled in favor of NSO on another issue: the company will not be required to disclose the names of its customers or information about its server architecture at this time.
The court's decision marks a significant milestone in WhatsApp's long-term goal of protecting its users from illegal attacks. The WhatsApp representative stressed the importance of understanding for spy companies and other attackers that they can be caught and will not be able to ignore the law. NSO Group declined to comment on the court's decision, and the trial itself is ongoing.
NSO's Pegasus can hack mobile phones, gaining unlimited access to calls, emails, photos, location information, and encrypted messages without the user's knowledge. In 2021, the Biden administration blacklisted NSO, saying that the actions of the Israeli manufacturer of spyware were contrary to US foreign policy and national security.
The NSO sells its spyware to government clients around the world, claiming that agencies using it are responsible for how it is used.
Although NSO does not disclose the names of its clients, research and media reports over the years have identified Poland, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, India, Hungary, and the United Arab Emirates among the countries that have used the technology to target dissidents, journalists, human rights defenders, and other civil society actors.
The Biden administration has expressed concern about the proliferation and misuse of products like Pegasus, pointing to a potential threat to U.S. national security and counterintelligence efforts. In early February, a new policy was even introduced , providing for the introduction of global visa restrictions for individuals involved in the misuse of commercial spyware, including EU countries and Israel.
