Latest news with #Lainer
Epoch Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Jury Awards Meta $168 Million in WhatsApp Spyware Case
A California jury awarded Meta nearly $168 million in compensation on May 6 in a privacy case against Israeli spyware company NSO Group. In October 2019, WhatsApp and Facebook, both of which operate under Meta, filed a In December 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California On May 6, a jury The jury agreed that WhatsApp has proven by 'clear and convincing evidence that NSO engaged in malice, oppression, or fraud in violating the California Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act.' The WhatsApp complaint was focused on NSO Group's Pegasus spyware, which was developed 'to be remotely installed and enable the remote access and control of information—including calls, messages, and location—on mobile devices using the Android, iOS, and BlackBerry operating systems,' the lawsuit said. Related Stories 4/30/2025 5/2/2025 'Pegasus was designed, in part, to intercept communications sent to and from a device, including communications over iMessage, Skype, Telegram, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and others,' it said. WhatsApp alleged that NSO implanted Pegasus on WhatsApp users' phones and relayed data from compromised phones to NSO as well as NSO's customers. In an April 2020 court NSO said WhatsApp conflated NSO's actions with those of NSO's customers, such as sovereign governments. The group's business model 'consists of selling NSO's Pegasus technology to governments and providing basic technical support for them,' the filing said. 'If anyone installed Pegasus on any alleged 'Target Devices,' it was not Defendants [NSO]. It would have been an agency of a sovereign government,' it said. NSO said it never targeted anyone and contractually prohibits customers from using Pegasus to target individuals who are not suspected criminals or terrorists. 'If a government ever misused NSO's Pegasus technology to monitor WhatsApp users other than criminals or terrorists, Defendants have no knowledge of that misuse, which would be a violation of that government's contract with NSO,' the Israeli company said. Protecting Privacy Meta welcomed the court decision, saying in a May 6 'Today's verdict in WhatsApp's case is an important step forward for privacy and security as the first victory against the development and use of illegal spyware that threatens the safety and privacy of everyone,' the company said. The jury's decision to impose fines against NSO is 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,' it said. Responding to the court decision, Gil Lainer, VP for global communications at NSO Group, told The Epoch Times that the company's technology has played 'a critical role in preventing serious crime and terrorism' and has been used in security operations that have saved American lives. This perspective 'was excluded from the jury's consideration in this case,' said Lainer. 'We will carefully examine the verdict's details and pursue appropriate legal remedies, including further proceedings and an appeal,' he said. 'NSO remains fully committed to its mission to develop technologies that protect public safety, while continuously strengthening our industry-leading compliance framework and ensuring our technology is deployed solely for their legitimate, authorized purposes by legitimate sovereign governments.' Digital rights advocacy group Access Now supported the court decision in a May 6 In December 2020, Access Now and its partners submitted an amicus brief in the case, detailing victims of NSO's alleged hacking of WhatsApp. 'This verdict sends a clear message to spyware companies that targeting people through U.S.-based platforms will come with a high price,' said Michael De Dora, U.S. policy and advocacy manager at the organization. 'It underscores the importance of U.S. institutions protecting the digital infrastructure and individuals that rely on it from unlawful surveillance.' In November 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce 'These entities developed and supplied spyware to foreign governments that used these tools to maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics, and embassy workers,' the department said.
Politico
06-05-2025
- Business
- Politico
Israeli spyware giant NSO Group ordered to pay nearly $170M to WhatsApp for hacking accounts
Israeli spyware company NSO Group was ordered by a U.S. federal court on Tuesday to pay WhatsApp and its parent company Meta almost $170 million in damages after its cyber tools were used to hack around 1,400 WhatsApp accounts. NSO Group has become the poster child in recent years for the mostly underground spyware market, used increasingly by governments to surveil dissidents , journalists and politicians . The ruling, the latest step in a process that began in 2019, is a major win for privacy advocates and those pushing back against NSO Group's controversial Pegasus software. According to a spokesperson for Meta, the ruling involves NSO Group paying punitive damages of around $167 million to WhatsApp on top of more than $440,000 in compensatory damages after one day of jury deliberation. This stems from an effort linked to NSO Group to exploit video calling systems and send malware to around 1,400 WhatsApp users in 2019, many of whom worked for civil society groups. WhatsApp filed a complaint in court after the plot was discovered. NSO Group was previously found liable for hacking the WhatsApp user accounts , setting a precedent for organizations targeted by spyware to go after the companies that build the malicious software. A post on Meta's site shortly after the ruling celebrated the win, and noted that WhatsApp will be working to get a court order to 'prevent NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp again.' It added that Meta will be making an unspecified donation to digital rights organizations that work to expose spyware abuses. In addition, WhatsApp plans to publish transcripts of deposition videos from NSO Group executives and others to aid researchers in understanding the full use of spyware globally. 'Today's verdict in WhatsApp's case is an important step forward for privacy and security as the first victory against the development and use of illegal spyware that threatens the safety and privacy of everyone,' the post reads. Apple also filed a suit against NSO Group, seeking damages for spyware being used against its customers. It ultimately dropped the case last year after concluding that the suit might expose sensitive Apple user data. NSO Group has pushed back repeatedly against criticism, arguing that its Pegasus spyware has been used for good, such as catching high-profile criminals . Gil Lainer, vice president of global communications for NSO Group, said in a statement Tuesday that the decision is 'another stope in a lengthy judicial process,' and that 'we firmly believe that our technology plays a critical role in preventing serious crime and terrorism and is deployed responsibly by authorized government agencies.' 'We will carefully examine the verdict's details and pursue appropriate legal remedies, including further proceedings and an appeal,' Lainer said, adding that the company 'remains fully committed to its mission to develop technologies that protect public safety' while working within legal frameworks. NSO Group was added to the Commerce Department's entity list in 2021, making it difficult for it to do business in the U.S. Meanwhile, the European Parliament has set up a committee to investigate the use of Pegasus across EU nations. Last year, the Biden administration backed a pledge for other nations to use spyware responsibly , and the Trump administration recently backed an international effort to set a code of conduct for wielding this type of software. John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher for Citizen Lab, which helped investigate the initial hacks of WhatsApp accounts, tweeted Tuesday that NSO Group's conduct 'deserved to be punished,' adding that 'NSO makes millions hacking mostly American tech companies … so that dictators can hack dissidents.' 'NSO Group emerges from the trial severely damaged,' Scott-Railton tweeted. 'This will scare customers.'
USA Today
20-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Stefan Lainer vs. Borussia Dortmund – Player props & odds to score a goal on April 20
Stefan Lainer vs. Borussia Dortmund – Player props & odds to score a goal on April 20 [gambcom-standard rankid="4130" ] Will Stefan Lainer find the back of the net when Borussia Monchengladbach plays Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, April 20 at 11:30 AM ET? For current stats and anytime goalscorer odds, continue scrolling. Borussia Monchengladbach met SC Freiburg at home in its last match and was defeated by a final score of 2-1. It was outshot by five in the match, 16 to 11. Keep up with Bundesliga action this season on Fubo! Stefan Lainer's Odds to Score a Goal vs. Borussia Dortmund Odds to score a goal next game: +1300 Soccer player prop odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 6:41 PM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. [gambcom-standard rankid="4142" ] Stefan Lainer's 2024-25 Stats Lainer has one goal but no assists for Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga this season. Comparing Lainer's expected goals total (0.0) to his actual total (one), you see those numbers are very similar. So far in the 2024-25 season, he has attempted two total shots. That's an average of 0.1 shots per match. Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Borussia Dortmund Scoring Insights Offensively, Borussia Monchengladbach is 10th in the Bundesliga (46 goals, 1.6 per match). And defensively, Borussia Dortmund is 10th (45 goals conceded, 1.6 per match). Offensively, Borussia Dortmund is fifth in the Bundesliga (54 goals, 1.9 per match). And defensively, Borussia Monchengladbach is eighth (43 goals conceded, 1.5 per match). In terms of goal differential, Borussia Monchengladbach is ninth in the Bundesliga at +3. Borussia Dortmund's goal difference (+9) ranks sixth in the Bundesliga. Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Borussia Dortmund Match Info Matchup: Borussia Monchengladbach at Borussia Dortmund Borussia Monchengladbach at Borussia Dortmund Time: 11:30 AM ET 11:30 AM ET Date: April 20, 2025 April 20, 2025 Venue: BVB Stadion Dortmund BVB Stadion Dortmund Live stream: Watch this game on ESPN+ Watch Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Borussia Dortmund on ESPN+ More Player Props: [gambcom-standard rankid="4338" ]
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Super Bowl 2025: NFL said security will be ‘more visible' in New Orleans after Bourbon Street attack
The NFL has ramped up its security plan for the Super Bowl next month in the wake of the deadly attack on Bourbon Street on New Year's Day. The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will square off in Super Bowl LIX at the Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans on Feb. 9. The NFL has been working on security plans for the game for over a year, though Cathy Lainer, the league's chief security officer, confirmed that they have since revisited and reassessed those plans after the attack in the city. Among other things, Lainer said that officers will be much 'more visible' both around the stadium and throughout the city. 'I think you're going to see more visible uniformed presence, uniformed law enforcement,' Lanier told The Washington Post. 'And obviously there's a significant amount of law enforcement dedicated to this event, so more uniformed and non-uniformed law enforcement. You'll just see our security perimeter is normally pretty large and pretty significant for the Super Bowl. That's not going to change. But you'll see a lot more resources, a lot more people, a lot more law enforcement specifically.' Officials said that a man drove a rented pickup truck through a crowd of people celebrating on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early on New Year's Day, killing 14 people and injuring dozens of others. The man, identified as a 42-year-old army veteran from Texas, was later killed in a shootout with police. The attack resulted in the Sugar Bowl matchup between Notre Dame and Georgia being postponed. That game, part of the expanded College Football Playoff, was then held on Jan. 2 without issue at the Superdome. Regardless of where it is held, the Super Bowl is considered a Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1 event, which is defined as a 'significant events with national and/or international importance that require extensive federal interagency support,' per The Washington Post. There are already numerous security measures in place, including temporary flight restriction above the stadium, and numerous federal agencies on the ground to assist with security. 'Obviously everybody at the NFL and everybody else that's involved in this planning effort is very saddened by the events of January 1 but also watching very closely,' Lanier said. 'So we know that security is top of mind for everyone as we go into this planning process, the last stages of the planning. But this is an effort that's been underway for 18 months.' While the city is only a few weeks removed from the New Year's Day attack, Lainer also confirmed that there are 'no known or credible threats at all' for the Super Bowl. At least from her side of things, it should feel relatively normal in New Orleans. 'My guess would be people who attend multiple Super Bowls, it's going to feel a lot like every other Super Bowl,' she said. 'There's always a lot of security. My guess is you're going to see more visible security. I think you're going to see more uniformed police officers walking around. I think you're going to see more engagement by police talking with people, engaging with people, trying to make people feel like they are safe.'
