Meta wins $167 million in damages from NSO group over Pegasus spyware
A US jury has ordered NSO Group, the company behind the notorious Pegasus spyware, to pay more than $167 million in punitive damages to Meta for deploying malware via WhatsApp. The decision marks a significant legal victory for Meta following years of courtroom battles. A US judge previously found that NSO had violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.(Pixabay/Representative)
Meta first sued NSO Group in 2019, alleging that the Israeli firm used its Pegasus spyware to target over 1,400 individuals across 20 countries—including journalists, human rights activists, and political dissidents. According to Meta, the malware was delivered through WhatsApp video calls, even if those calls went unanswered.
A US judge previously found that NSO had violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, setting the stage for the jury trial to determine financial damages. On Tuesday, the jury awarded $444,719 in compensatory damages and $167,254,000 in punitive damages to Meta. Meta calls ruling a 'critical deterrent'
Carl Woog, WhatsApp's VP of Global Communications, welcomed the verdict, calling it 'a critical deterrent to this malicious industry against their illegal acts aimed at American companies and the privacy and security of the people we serve.'
Meta has also said it plans to seek a court injunction to prevent NSO from targeting WhatsApp in the future and hopes to donate the awarded funds to digital rights organisations. NSO pledges to appeal
NSO Group, which describes itself as a 'cyber intelligence' company, maintained in court that Pegasus cannot be used on US phone numbers and claimed WhatsApp had suffered no actual harm.
Gil Lainer, a spokesperson for NSO, criticised the verdict, calling it 'another step in a lengthy judicial process.' He said the firm would explore 'further proceedings' or an appeal, adding: 'We firmly believe our technology plays a critical role in preventing serious crime and terrorism… this perspective was excluded from the jury's consideration.'
Despite the ruling, Meta acknowledged that recovering the damages may be a lengthy process.
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