A US federal court has ruled that Israeli spyware company NSO Group must pay WhatsApp (owned by Meta) approximately $170 million for hacking 1,400 accounts, writes Politico.
NSO will pay more than $440,000 in compensation and $167 million in damages in the 2019 lawsuit against WhatsApp. The owners of the messenger accused the Israeli developer of sending malware to 1,400 users. The trial set a precedent for the US.
This is not the first time that the Israeli group NSO has been linked to breaking the law. In March 2025 Poland's Supreme Audit Office has sent two notices of suspicion to the prosecutor's office regarding the commission of crimes in the purchase and use of Hermes spyware. The prosecutor's office bought Hermes in November 2020 from NSO Group Technologies for 15 million Polish zlotys ($3.6 million). In February, the National Court of Spain sent a request to Israeli authorities in a case related to the hacking of the phones of political figures in the kingdom using the Pegasus spyware, also developed by an Israeli company.