Israel Minister denies government involvement in NSO-WhatsApp spyware

The Israeli government on Friday has denied any involvement in the alleged cyber-hack by Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group. According to reports, Israeli security cabinet minister Zeev Elkin has said that if any government official had done anything 'forbidden', that person would find himself in the court. While opposing the allegations on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, Elkin further said that NSO is a private group which uses Israeli capabilities, however, there is no involvement by the government. He said that the case is not about the 'state of Israel'. 

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WhatsApp sues NSO

WhatsApp has reportedly sued NSO Group which is an Israeli surveillance firm on October 29. The lawsuit has accused the firm of helping government spies hack phones of roughly 1,400 users across four continents. The targets mostly included diplomats, political dissidents, journalists, and senior government officials. WhatsApp claims that the surveillance firm has violated American law in an “unmistakable pattern of abuse.” However, the group had said that NSO will stand against the dispute and fight all allegations. In a statement, NSO said that the company's purpose is to provide technology to licensed government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to help them fight terrorism and serious crime.

Read - WhatsApp Sues Israeli Firm NSO For Helping Govt Spies Hack Phones

Facebook files a lawsuit

Mark Zuckerberg-led Facebook has also sued the NSO Group for an alleged cyber-espionage. Facebook is suing NSO in the US federal court for hacking into 1,400 WhatsApp accounts (read encrypted) with the 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 the story unfolds in the days to come. According to Facebook, NSO Group infringed upon laws including the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act with a crafty exploit that took advantage of a flaw in WhatsApp, allowing a smartphone to be penetrated through missed calls alone. The malware operation was discovered in May and ever since then, Facebook has apparently learnt that the attackers were using servers and internet-hosting services previously associated with NSO. The Israeli software company has been widely condemned for selling surveillance tools to repressive governments. 

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(With inputs from agencies)