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Meta sues NSO Group for contempt
8 Jun
Summary
- Meta filed a federal court contempt order against NSO Group.
- NSO is accused of violating an injunction barring targeting WhatsApp.
- WhatsApp disrupted phishing attempts linked to the spyware firm.

Meta has initiated a federal court contempt order against NSO Group, an Israeli spyware firm. This legal action alleges that NSO violated a permanent injunction previously issued, which strictly forbade the company from targeting WhatsApp and its user base.
WhatsApp's messaging service reportedly disrupted new spear-phishing attempts associated with NSO. These attempts were designed to deceive users into clicking malicious links, directing them to external websites. NSO Group is identified as an entity blacklisted by the U.S. government due to activities contrary to national security interests.
Last year, a U.S. court had already ordered NSO to cease targeting Meta's WhatsApp. This injunction, though reducing NSO's damages to $4 million from $167 million, posed a significant challenge. Prominent civil rights organizations and security researchers recently joined Meta in opposing NSO's appeal against this permanent injunction.