NSO Group must pay more than $167 million in damages to WhatsApp for spyware campaign

Spyware Manufacturer NSO Group needs more than $ 167 million compensation for WhatsApp to promote 2019 hacking against more than 1,400 users.

On Tuesday, after a five -year legal battle, a jury ruled that the NSO group must pay $ 167,256,000 in disciplinary compensation and about $ 444,719 for compensatory loss.

This is a huge legal victory for WhatsApp, which Wanted more than $ 400,000 On the basis of compensation loss, its employees had to be pushed to dedicate, investigate them, and pushes the nSO groups to patch the fixes to patches the weaknesses, as well as unexpected disciplinary damage.

WhatsApp immediately responded to any request for the comment.

NSO Group spokesperson Gill Liner left the door open for an appeal

“We will test the details of the judgment carefully and follow the appropriate legal remedies with more activities and an appeal,” the Liner said in a statement.

Judgment, as well as the whole case, encouraged such a series of cases The position of victims of the 2019 spyware promotionAs well as Name of some of the NSO groups in the groupThe

This judgment is a legal battle that starts more than five years ago – a possible appeal pending – marks the end WhatsApp filed a case against the spyware manufacturerThe Meta-owned agency NSO has accused Group of WhatsApp server access and exploitation An audio-coling weakness Unhappy, human rights activists and journalists, including about 1.5 people in the chat app to target.

WhatsApp chief Will Cathakart explained the logic of the case A Washington Post Op-Aid At that time, he said, “It should act as a awakening call for technology companies, governments and all the Internet users. Equipment that enables surveillance in our personal life is being tortured, and the spread of this technology is at risk of irresponsible organizations and governments.”

Last December, WhatsApp wonThe The judge, who presided over the case, ruled that the NSO group was responsible for violating the Federal and California Hacking Laws against 1,400 WhatsApp users. The judge ruled that the NSO Group was also responsible for violating the service of WhatsApp, which prohibit the use of the app for contaminated purposes.

Cathakart celebrates the December verdict Guys in an X post It was “a huge victory for privacy”, and “Surveillance companies should notice that illegal spying will not be tolerated.”

At this point, the case has gone into a jury trial to determine what the Owed Owed damage to the spyware company WhatsApp has done now.