Meta's WhatsApp Wins $168 Million Verdict Against Pegasus Spyware Maker NSO Group For 2019 Hack

Meta Platforms, Inc. META-owned WhatsApp has secured a $168 million jury verdict against NSO Group, the Israeli firm behind the controversial Pegasus spyware, over a 2019 hacking incident.

What Happened: A federal jury in California ruled that NSO Group must pay $168 million in damages to WhatsApp for exploiting a vulnerability in the encrypted messaging platform, reported the Financial Times on Tuesday.

The exploit allowed NSO's clients to secretly install Pegasus spyware on the devices of journalists, human rights activists, and political dissidents.

This is the first time a spyware maker has been held liable in court for breaching the technical defenses of major smartphone platforms, the report said.

"The jury's decision to force NSO to pay damages is a critical deterrent to this malicious industry against their illegal acts aimed at American companies," WhatsApp parent company Meta said in a statement, the report added.

NSO Group responded that it plans to appeal the verdict. "We firmly believe that our technology plays a critical role in preventing serious crime and terrorism and is deployed responsibly by authorized government agencies," the company said.

Why It's Important: WhatsApp's victory potentially exposes NSO to lawsuits from other major tech companies like Apple Inc. AAPL, Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN, and Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL, firms whose platforms Pegasus has exploited or tried to breach to deploy its spyware, the report said.

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