NSO Group Fined $167M Over WhatsApp Spyware Breach
May 7, 2025 — Tech & Business Desk —
The Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO Group has been ordered to pay $167 million to Meta-owned WhatsApp for using its notorious Pegasus spyware to hack 1,400 users in 2019. The verdict marks a major legal win for digital privacy advocates and tech companies fighting against surveillance tech abuse.
Pegasus is a highly invasive spyware capable of covertly accessing phone cameras, microphones, messages, and more — all without user consent. Although NSO claims the software is strictly used to combat terrorism and serious crime, numerous investigations have exposed its misuse by authoritarian governments to track journalists, activists, and political opponents.
This ruling, which includes an additional $444,000 in damages, concludes a six-year legal showdown between Meta and NSO Group. Meta hailed the decision as the first major legal victory against the creation and use of unauthorized surveillance tools.
“This is a crucial warning to spyware developers abusing global platforms,” Meta stated after the judgment.
NSO Group responded cautiously, saying it would review the court’s decision and consider appealing.
“We remain committed to helping authorized agencies fight crime and terrorism,” the company said.
Pegasus gained global notoriety in 2021 when a leaked database of over 50,000 phone numbers revealed widespread surveillance, including phones linked to world leaders, royals, journalists, and even Downing Street officials.
Among the high-profile figures allegedly targeted were French President Emmanuel Macron and relatives of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist assassinated in 2018.
Privacy watchdog The Citizen Lab suspects that Pegasus infiltrated the UK’s Foreign Office, raising national security concerns.
The ruling is also expected to open legal doors for other major platforms reportedly exploited by NSO’s spyware. Experts say the decision could lead to a wave of lawsuits that might fundamentally reshape how surveillance tools are regulated.
As the world grapples with evolving digital threats, the Meta-NSO case stands as a landmark moment — reinforcing that even powerful spyware developers can be held accountable in a court of law.
