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

Spyware maker NSO Group will have to pay more than 7 167 million damages to WhatsApp for the 2019 hacking campaign against more than 1,400 users.

On Tuesday, after a five -year legal battle, a jury ruled that the NSO group would have to pay 7 167,254,000 in compulsory losses and about $ 444,719 in compensation losses.

This is a huge legal win for WhatsApp, which 000 had more than 400,000 In compensation losses, on the basis of the time, when its employees had to remove the attacks, investigate them, and to pushing the fix to the NSO group, as well as abuse, as well as to eliminate the damage.

“Our judicial trial has made history as the first victory against illegal spyware, which threatens everyone’s safety and confidentiality,” WhatsApp spokesman Z. Also said in a statement.

“This decision is an important step for confidentiality and security because the first victory against the development and use of illegal spyware, which threatens everyone’s security and privacy, today,” said Al -Susoh. Today, a jury’s decision to force a notorious foreign spyware merchant, NSO, is against US companies and security against security.

NSO Group spokesman Gul Leener left the door open for appeal.

“We will carefully review the details of the decision and follow the appropriate legal treatment, including further action and appeal, Lioner said in a statement.

In addition to the trial, a series of revelations began in the entire case, such as Location of victims of the 2019 Spyware CampaignAs well as Names of some users of NSO Group.

The decision identified the end of a possible appeal of a legal war that began more than five years ago. WhatsApp filed a case against a spyware maker. Meta -owned company accused NSO Group of accessing and exploiting WhatsApp servers An audio calling risk Chat app to target about 1,400 people, including differences, human rights activists, and journalists.

Did the head of the WhatsApp, Keith Cart explained the reasoning of legalization OPD in a Washington Post At the time, where he said, “It should demand a waking up for all users of technology companies, governments and the Internet. Tools are being misused in our private lives, and the spread of this technology has been put into the hands of irresponsible companies and governments.”

Last December, WhatsApp won. Judge Palestin Hamilton, who chaired the case, ruled that the NSO group was responsible for violating the federal and California hacking laws in its 2019 spyware campaign against 1,400 WhatsApp users. The judge ruled that the NSO group is also responsible for violating the terms of the WhatsApp service, which forbids the use of the app for malicious purposes.

Keith Cart celebrates the December decision Saying in an x ​​post That it was “a huge win for privacy”, and that “surveillance companies should consider that illegal espionage will not be tolerated.”

On this occasion, the case went to the jury trial to determine how the spyware company was damaged by WhatsApp, which has now ended.

John Scott-Relton, a senior researcher at the urban lab, where he has studied the spyware industry for more than a decade, celebrated the decision.

“This is an incredible moment for those of us who have been in the beginning of the tenant spyware research,” Scott Relaton told Tech Crunch. “The NSO makes several millions of dollars that helps the dictators to hack people. After every tactic and delayed tactic, it only considered the jury about the day that it is right to look at the heart of the matter: the NSO business is based on hacking American companies… so that dictators are unaware.”

“The company has suffered severe damage to the case,” said Scott Relaton. In addition to the massive damages, the issue has also been a huge blow to the NSO’s efforts to hide its business activities. ”

This story has been updated to include comments from WhatsApp and John Scott Realton.