Meta alleges NSO violated spyware injunction with new WhatsApp attacks

Meta has formally accused the NSO Group, a notorious spyware manufacturer, of breaching a court order that prohibits it from targeting WhatsApp users. In an announcement, Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, disclosed that it successfully identified and thwarted spear-phishing attempts attributed to NSO, a company that has been blacklisted by the U.S. government. The tech giant is now seeking a court's intervention to hold NSO accountable for allegedly violating a permanent injunction that forbids the company from ever targeting WhatsApp or its users. NSO, an Israeli firm known for creating the Pegasus spyware, was added to the U.S. Entity List in 2021 due to its involvement in developing spyware that foreign governments used to target a range of individuals, including officials, journalists, and activists. Last year, WhatsApp achieved a significant legal victory against NSO in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, where a jury initially awarded over $167 million in damages. Although a federal judge later reduced the award to $4 million, the injunction against NSO remained intact, which the company has since sought to overturn. In a recent court filing, NSO argued that the injunction poses a threat to its primary product, Pegasus, which accounted for its entire sales revenue in 2025. However, the district court denied NSO's request to pause the injunction, prompting the company to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Meta's latest statement emphasizes its commitment to user safety, revealing that it disrupted NSO's attempts to deceive users into clicking malicious links that led to harmful external websites. The company also reported that it dismantled test accounts and groups created by NSO on WhatsApp, further asserting its dedication to protecting its platform and users from such threats.