{"id":55480,"date":"2024-03-01T16:05:38","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T16:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packetstormsecurity.com\/news\/view\/35601\/Court-Orders-Makers-Of-Pegasus-Spyware-To-Hand-Over-Code-To-WhatsApp.html"},"modified":"2024-03-01T16:05:38","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T16:05:38","slug":"court-orders-makers-of-pegasus-spyware-to-hand-over-code-to-whatsapp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/court-orders-makers-of-pegasus-spyware-to-hand-over-code-to-whatsapp\/","title":{"rendered":"Court Orders Makers Of Pegasus Spyware To Hand Over Code To WhatsApp"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NSO Group, the maker of one the world\u2019s most sophisticated cyber weapons, has been ordered by a US court to hand its code for Pegasus and other spyware products to WhatsApp<\/a> as part of the company\u2019s ongoing litigation.<\/p>\n

The decision by Judge Phyllis Hamilton is a major legal victory for WhatsApp, the Meta-owned communication app which has been embroiled in a lawsuit against NSO since 2019<\/a>, when it alleged that the Israeli company\u2019s spyware had been used against 1,400 WhatsApp users over a two-week period.<\/p>\n

NSO\u2019s Pegasus code, and code for other surveillance products it sells, is seen as a closely and highly sought state secret. NSO is closely regulated by the Israeli ministry of defence, which must review and approve the sale of all licences to foreign governments.<\/p>\n

In reaching her decision, Hamilton considered a plea by NSO to excuse it of all its discovery obligations in the case due to \u201cvarious US and Israeli restrictions\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, however, she sided with WhatsApp in ordering the company to produce \u201call relevant spyware\u201d for a period of one year before and after the two weeks in which WhatsApp users were allegedly attacked: from 29 April 2018 to 10 May 2020. NSO must also give WhatsApp information \u201cconcerning the full functionality of the relevant spyware\u201d.<\/p>\n

Hamilton did, however, decide in NSO\u2019s favor on a different matter: the company will not be forced at this time to divulge the names of its clients or information regarding its server architecture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe recent court ruling is an important milestone in our long-running goal of protecting WhatsApp users against unlawful attacks. Spyware companies and other malicious actors need to understand they can be caught and will not be able to ignore the law,\u201d a WhatsApp spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

NSO declined to comment on the decision. The litigation is continuing.<\/p>\n

When it is successfully deployed against a target, NSO\u2019s Pegasus software can hack any mobile phone, gaining unrestricted access to phone calls, emails, photographs, location information and encrypted messages without a user\u2019s knowledge. NSO was blacklisted by the Biden administration<\/a> in 2021 after it determined the Israeli spyware maker has acted \u201ccontrary to the foreign policy and national security interests of the US\u201d.<\/p>\n

NSO sells its spyware to government clients around the world and has said that the agencies who deploy it are responsible for how it is used. While NSO does not disclose the names of its clients, research and media reports over the years have identified Poland, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, India, Hungary and the United Arab Emirates as among the countries that have previously used the technology to target dissidents, journalists, human rights activists and other members of civil society.<\/p>\n

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