WhatsApp vulnerability allowed secretive installation of spyware

Minimalist · Jul 1, 2020

Facebook reinstates NSO Group employee accounts amid ongoing lawsuit

After a months-long court battle, Facebook has reinstated four accounts of people employed by Israeli software surveillance firm NSO Group, according to Israeli news outlet CTech.
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https://www.cyberscoop.com/facebook-nso-group-accounts-reinstate-lawsuit-whatsapp/

guest · Jul 17, 2020

Facebook, Whatsapp Get Federal Court Go-Ahead To Sue Israeli Surveillance Firm In Malware Exploit Case
July 17, 2020
https://www.benzinga.com/news/20/07...aeli-surveillance-firm-in-malware-exploit-cas

Facebook Inc FB, and subsidiary WhatsApp Inc., can go ahead with their lawsuit against NSO Group, filed for alleged exploitation of vulnerabilities in software, a federal court has ruled, TechCrunch reported Thursday.
What Happened
In October, the companies complained that the Israeli mobile surveillance software company exploited a weakness in the messaging app WhatsApp's audio calling feature to infect 1,400 mobile devices belonging to journalists, human rights activists, and others with malware.

The United States District Court of the Northern District of California Chief Judge, Phyllis Hamilton, ruled that the NSO Group failed to qualify under the FSIA, as it was not incorporated in the U.S.
A Facebook spokesperson told TechCrunch that it was “pleased with the Court’s decision,” and that the company would be “able to obtain relevant documents and other information about NSO’s practices.”
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guest · Dec 21, 2020

Google, Cisco, and VMware join Microsoft to oppose NSO Group in WhatsApp spyware case
Decenber 22, 2020
https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/21/g...to-oppose-nso-group-in-whatsapp-spyware-case/

A coalition of companies have filed an amicus brief in support of a legal case brought by WhatsApp against Israeli intelligence firm NSO Group, accusing the company of using an undisclosed vulnerability in the messaging app to hack into at least 1,400 devices, some of which were owned by journalists and human rights activists.

Last year, WhatsApp found and patched a vulnerability that it said was being abused to deliver the government-grade spyware, in some cases without the victim knowing. Months later, WhatsApp sued NSO to understand more about the incident, including which of its government customers was behind the attack.
NSO has repeatedly disputed the allegations, but was unable to convince a U.S. court to drop the case earlier this year. NSO’s main legal defense is that it is afforded legal immunities because it acts on behalf of governments.
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In a blog post, Microsoft’s customer security and trust chief Tom Burt said NSO should be accountable for the tools it builds and the vulnerabilities it exploits.

“Private companies should remain subject to liability when they use their cyber-surveillance tools to break the law, or knowingly permit their use for such purposes, regardless of who their customers are or what they’re trying to achieve,” said Burt. “We hope that standing together with our competitors today through this amicus brief will help protect our collective customers and global digital ecosystem from more indiscriminate attacks.”
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guest · Jan 9, 2023

Supreme Court declines to block WhatsApp lawsuit over NSO phone hacking
By Carly Page @carlypage_ - January 9, 2023

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to block a lawsuit brought by WhatsApp challenging the alleged mass phone hacking by Israeli spyware maker NSO Group.
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Meta-owned WhatsApp first filed a suit against NSO Group in 2019 claiming the spyware maker exploited an audio-calling vulnerability in WhatsApp to stealthily deliver its Pegasus phone spyware onto users’ devices. Pegasus gives its government customers near-complete access to a target’s device, including their personal data, photos, messages and granular location data.

More than 1,400 devices belonging to journalists, activists and government officials were compromised by Pegasus, according to the lawsuit.
NSO Group filed a petition to dismiss the lawsuit in April last year, arguing that it could not be sued as it was acting on behalf of a foreign government.
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The WhatsApp case is among a series of legal battles plaguing NSO Group of late. Apple also filed a lawsuit against the spyware maker, seeking a permanent injunction to block the spyware maker from using any Apple product or service — a move designed to make it more difficult for the company to operate.
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“We’re pleased that the Supreme Court rejected NSO Group’s petition. Today’s decision clears the path for lawsuits brought by the tech companies, as well as for suits brought by journalists and human rights advocates who have been victims of spyware attacks,” said Carrie DeCell, senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute. “The use of spyware to surveil and intimidate journalists poses one of the most urgent threats to press freedom and democracy today.”
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