WhatsApp spyware: Facebook sues Israeli company NSO for cyber spying

In what could be first of its kind lawsuit filed in San Francisco, Mark Zuckerberg-led Facebook is suing NSO Group, an Israeli software company, for an alleged cyber-espion. Facebook is suing NSO in US federal court for hacking into 1,400 WhatsApp accounts (read encrypted) with help of highly sophisticated spyware. With this lawsuit, Facebook has touched upon a nearly totally unregulated realm and it will be exciting to see how story unfolds in days to come. According to Facebook, NSO Group infringed upon laws including US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act with a crafty exploit that took advant of a flaw in WhatsApp, allowing a smartphone to be penetrated through missed calls alone.

"It targeted at least 100 human-rights defenders, journalists and or members of civil society across world," head of WhatsApp, Will Cathcart, wrote in an op-ed published by Washington Post.

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malware operation was discovered in May and ever since n, Facebook has apparently learnt that attackers were using servers and internet-hosting services previously associated with NSO. Israeli software company has been widely condemned for selling surveillance tools to repressive governments. Cathcart said lawsuit was filed after an investigation showed Israeli firm's role cyberattack, despite its denials.

NSO responds

In its statement, NSO did t directly deny hacking WhatsApp but disputed allegations and vowed to "vigorously fight m."

" sole purpose of NSO is to provide techlogy to licensed government intelligence and law enforcement ncies to help m fight terrorism and serious crime,” company said. “Our techlogy is t designed or licensed for use against human rights activists and journalists. It has helped to save thousands of lives over recent years."

What's issue

lawsuit said software developed by NSO kwn as Pegasus was designed to be remotely installed to hijack devices using Android, iOS, and BlackBerry operating systems. complaint said 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. While NSO said strongly encrypted platforms (like WhatsApp) are used by paedophile rings, drug traffickers and terrorists and that NSO’s techlogies "provide proportionate, lawful solutions" Facebook has demanded in suit that NSO Group be denied access to Facebook’s services and systems and seeks unspecified dams.