NSO permanently barred from targeting WhatsApp users with Pegasus spyware

In a significant legal ruling, the NSO Group, an Israeli cybersecurity firm, has been permanently barred from targeting WhatsApp users with its Pegasus spyware. The decision, made by a US federal judge, stems from a lawsuit filed by Meta (the parent company of WhatsApp) against NSO Group in 2019. The court found that NSO Group's practice of infiltrating WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption to spy on users was a direct harm to Meta's business, as it undermined the platform's security and privacy features. The ruling prohibits NSO Group from using any WhatsApp-related servers or computer infrastructure, effectively preventing it from targeting WhatsApp users with the Pegasus spyware. This decision marks a significant victory for Meta and a setback for NSO Group, which has faced growing scrutiny and legal challenges over its powerful surveillance software. The ruling underscores the importance of protecting user privacy and the integrity of end-to-end encryption, which has become a crucial feature for many messaging platforms.