WhatsApp spyware controversy far from over: Facebook sued by NSO Group employees

In what could be a major twist in WhatsApp spyware controversy, employees at NSO Group -- an Israeli surveillance software company behind Pegasus spyware -- have filed a lawsuit against Facebook for allegedly preventing m and ir family members from accessing Facebook and Instagram. NSO Group employees filed a lawsuit against Facebook, saying Facebook h unfairly blocked ir private accounts when it sued NSO last month.

Employees at NSO Group said ir Facebook and Instagram accounts and also those of former workers and family members h been blocked. NSO Group employees have filed a petition in Tel Aviv District Court to order Facebook to unblock accounts. NSO employees furr claim Facebook took action abruptly and without any prior tice.

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Social media giant Facebook is yet to provide its official comment on lawsuit filed by employees at NSO Group. In ir statement, NSO employees said Facebook h imposed a "collective punishment" by choosing to block ir private accounts due to legal process Facebook is conducting against NSO. NSO employees claim y filed a lawsuit against Facebook only after y me repeated requests to Facebook that went unanswered.

"Blocking our private accounts is a hurtful and unjust move by Facebook," statement said. " idea that personal data was searched for and used is very disturbing to us" Furrmore, NSO Group employees said y would continue to "help governments around world prevent crime and terrorism through techlogy we are developing".

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In its lawsuit last month, Facebook argued NSO Group infringed upon laws including US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act with a crafty exploit that took vant of a flaw in WhatsApp, allowing a smartphone to be penetrated through missed calls alone.

Last month, WhatsApp filed a lawsuit against NSO Group for hacking into 1400 accounts using its highly sophisticated Pegasus spyware software. Facebook's lawsuit against NSO Group h said software developed by NSO kwn as Pegasus was designed to be remotely installed to hijack devices using Android, iOS, and BlackBerry operating systems.

Facebook h complained that attackers "reverse-engineered WhatsApp app and developed a programme to enable m to emulate legitimate WhatsApp network traffic in order to transmit malicious code" to take over devices.

(With Reuters inputs)