Jay Peters@The Verge
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A US judge has ruled that the Israeli software company NSO Group is liable for hacking 1,400 WhatsApp users using its Pegasus spyware. The court found that NSO Group exploited a vulnerability in WhatsApp to target journalists, activists, politicians, and other individuals. NSO Group has been found to have violated the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act and the California Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, along with breaching its contract with WhatsApp.
This ruling is a major victory for WhatsApp, which initiated legal action in 2019. The judge rejected NSO Group's argument that it was not liable, as their clients were investigating crimes and national security matters. A trial will now proceed to determine the damages that NSO Group will owe WhatsApp. This landmark decision is being seen as a precedent for other companies in the spyware industry.
References :
- Hacker News: US judge finds Israel's NSO Group liable for hacking journalists via WhatsApp L: C: posted on 2024.12.20 at 20:38:23 (c=0, p=5)
- toot.majorshouse.com: Israeli software group is being held liable for attacks on journalists, activists, and politicians. Pegasus spyware maker NSO Group is liable for attacks on 1,400 WhatsApp users
- The Verge: Pegasus spyware maker NSO Group is liable for attacks on 1,400 WhatsApp users
- Techmeme: A US judge finds NSO Group liable for exploiting a bug in WhatsApp to spy on 1,400 users and that WhatsApp is entitled to sanctions against NSO (Joseph Menn/Washington Post)
- bsky.app: major victory for WhatsApp in this finding of NSO Grp liability. really is a landmark. spyware like Pegasus is like a silent virus, aiming to leave no fingerprints. thanks not only to WhatsApp for bringing this action but orgs like @citizenlab.ca for exposing NSO in the first place!
- Martin: Mastodon post about the NSO Group liability.
- Osint10x: Judge rules NSO Group is liable for spyware hacks targeting 1,400 WhatsApp user devices
- DataBreaches.Net: US Court Finds NSO Liable For Hacking Of WhatsApp Using Pegasus Malware
- Techmeme: A US judge finds NSO Group liable for exploiting a bug in WhatsApp to spy on 1,400 users and that WhatsApp is entitled to sanctions against NSO
- www.techmeme.com: Techmeme post about the NSO Group being found liable.
- CCC: WhatsApp prevailed against over NSO’s abuse of the messaging app to enable the infiltration of phones of journalists, activists and dissidents with its hacking tool
- www.engadget.com: Judge finds spyware-maker NSO Group liable for attacks on WhatsApp users
- International homepage: WhatsApp prevailed against over NSO’s abuse of the messaging app to enable the infiltration of phones of journalists, activists and dissidents with its hacking tool
- www.courtlistener.com: IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. IT'S TIME FOR reading the WhatsApp v. NSO Group court docket
- cyberinsider.com: Pegasus Spyware Maker NSO Liable for 1,400 WhatsApp User Hacks
- CyberScoop: Judge grants ruling in favor of WhatsApp against spyware firm NSO Group
- BleepingComputer: A U.S. federal judge has ruled that Israeli spyware maker NSO Group violated U.S. hacking laws by using WhatsApp zero-days to deploy Pegasus spyware on at least 1,400 devices.
- CyberInsider: Pegasus Spyware Maker NSO Liable for 1,400 WhatsApp User Hacks
- jbz: US judge finds Israel's NSO Group liable for hacking in WhatsApp lawsuit
- securityaffairs.com: U.S. Court rules against NSO Group in WhatsApp spyware Lawsuit
- cyberscoop.com: Judge grants ruling in favor of WhatsApp against spyware firm NSO Group
- www.bleepingcomputer.com: US court finds spyware maker NSO liable for WhatsApp hacks
- techcrunch.com: WhatsApp scores historic victory against NSO Group in long-running spyware hacking case
- AAKL: WhatsApp scores historic victory against NSO Group in long-running spyware hacking case
- Carly Page: WhatsApp has scored a historic victory against NSO Group after a US judge said the Israeli spyware maker breached hacking laws by using the messaging platform to stealthily infect devices with Pegasus
- The Hacker News: Meta Platforms-owned WhatsApp scored a major legal victory in its fight against Israeli commercial spyware vendor NSO Group after a federal judge in the U.S. state of California ruled in favor of the messaging giant for exploiting a security vulnerability to deliver Pegasus.
- ciso2ciso.com: A U.S. court ruled in favor of WhatsApp against NSO Group, holding the spyware vendor liable for exploiting a flaw to deliver Pegasus spyware. WhatsApp won a legal case against NSO Group in a U.S. court over exploiting a vulnerability to deliver Pegasus spyware.
- Cybernews: Before 2020, Pegasus infected 1,400 devices to surveil WhatsApp. Last week, a US court held NSO Group liable for computer crimes.
- ciso2ciso.com: CISO2CISO reports on U.S. Court ruling against NSO Group in WhatsApp spyware lawsuit.
- Risk and Resilience: Risk and Resilience reports about WhatsApp securing a landmark ruling against Pegasus Spyware in hacking lawsuit.
- ciso2ciso.com: Spyware Maker NSO Group Liable for WhatsApp User Hacks
- Schneier on Security: Spyware Maker NSO Group Found Liable for Hacking WhatsApp
- ciso2ciso.com: Spyware Maker NSO Group Liable for WhatsApp User Hacks
- riskandresilience.info: WhatsApp Secures Landmark Ruling Against Pegasus Spyware in Hacking Lawsuit
- www.theguardian.com: WhatsApp wins legal case against NSO Group in Pegasus spyware lawsuit.
- DMR News: WhatsApp Defeats NSO Group in Long-Running Pegasus Spyware Case
- securityonline.info: Pegasus Spyware: Court Finds NSO Group Liable for 1,400 Infections
- Pyrzout :vm:: Spyware Maker NSO Group Liable for WhatsApp User Hacks – Source: www.infosecurity-magazine.com
- Cyber Security News: WhatsApp Wins 5-Year Battle Over NSO’s Pegasus Spyware Attacks
- ciso2ciso.com: WhatsApp Wins Lawsuit Against Israeli Spyware Maker NSO Group – Source:hackread.com
- ciso2ciso.com: Spyware Maker NSO Group Found Liable for Hacking WhatsApp – Source: www.schneier.com
- ciso2ciso.com: Spyware Maker NSO Group Found Liable for Hacking WhatsApp – Source: www.schneier.com
- Pyrzout :vm:: Spyware Maker NSO Group Found Liable for Hacking WhatsApp – Source: www.schneier.com
- iHLS: Court Rules NSO Group Liable for WhatsApp Surveillance Using Pegasus Malware
- Pyrzout :vm:: WhatsApp Wins Lawsuit Against Israeli Spyware Maker NSO Group – Source:hackread.com &Legalities
Classification:
@shaarli.maynier.eu
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Former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro has been arrested by Polish police in connection with the illegal use of NSO Group's Pegasus spyware. The arrest follows a probe into the previous government's use of the spyware, with allegations that Ziobro signed off on government funds to pay for the technology. He is also accused of supervising cases where the spyware was deployed, suggesting a potential abuse of power.
This action is part of a broader investigation initiated by the new prime minister to address the alleged targeting of nearly 600 individuals in Poland by spyware attacks between 2017 and 2022. The probe has been ongoing for years, with a Senate commission previously finding "gross violations of constitutional standards" related to the deployment of Pegasus to hack an opposition politician's device in 2019, even alleging the 2019 elections were tainted by the use of Pegasus.
References :
- CCC: Poland’s spyware probe has been going on for years: Police now arrested the former justice minister. He had refused to attend hearings on the deployment
- Links: Former Polish justice minister arrested in sprawling spyware probe | The Record
- www.techdirt.com: Poland’s Justice Minister Arrested For Illegal Use Of NSO Group Malware | Techdirt ｢ Polish police on Friday arrested the country’s former justice minister, alleging that he signed off on the use of government money to pay for spyware used to snoop on opposition leaders and supervised cases where the technology was deployed ｣
Classification:
OODA Analyst@OODAloop
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References :
- arstechnica.com: Ars Technica article about the discovery of seven Pegasus infections.
- OODAloop: Oodaloop article highlighting the widespread nature of Pegasus infections.
- iHLS: New scans by iVerify uncover seven instances of Pegasus infections, suggesting this spyware is more widespread than previously believed.
- www.itprotoday.com: Pegasus spyware infections proliferate across iOS and Android devices.
Classification:
- HashTags: #Pegasus #Spyware #MobileSecurity
- Company: iVerify
- Target: Journalists, government officials, corporate executives
- Attacker: NSO Group
- Product: Pegasus
- Feature: Spyware Detection
- Malware: Pegasus
- Type: Spyware
- Severity: Major
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