A federal judge ruled in favor of WhatsApp in a lawsuit the company brought against Israeli spyware maker linked to hacking of diplomats, human rights activists, and journalists.

A US judge ruled that the Israeli spyware maker breached hacking laws by using WhatsApp to infect devices with Pegasus

Last week, a judge found NSO Group liable for infecting over 1,400 devices. While that’s likely a drop in the bucket compared to how many more could be out there, it’s a start to holding makers of industrial-grade mercenary spyware responsible for the damage their tools can do.

Judge Phyllis Hamilton said on Friday that NSO Group broke state and federal laws and WhatsApp’s terms of service, by using zero-day exploits in the popular messaging tool to deploy its Pegasus spyware on at least 1400 devices.

Messaging giant WhatsApp won a landmark ruling Friday against the best-known maker of spyware when a federal judge in California ruled that NSO Group had hacked into the Meta unit’s systems by sending malicious software through its servers to more than a thousand targeted phones.

A U.S. federal judge has ruled that Israeli spyware maker NSO Group violated U.S. hacking laws by using WhatsApp zero-days to deploy Pegasus spyware on at least 1,400 devices.

WhatsApp wins U.S. court ruling against NSO Group for Pegasus misuse; 43 intrusions revealed, damages trial ahead.

A California judge ruled against Israeli spyware firm NSO Group in a lawsuit filed by WhatsApp, accusing NSO of exploiting a bug to install Pegasus spyware. The judge held NSO liable for hacking and breach of contract,

NSO Group, the organization behind the Pegasus spyware, has been found liable in a lawsuit brought by Meta’s WhatsApp over attacks on about 1,400 devices, as reported by The Record. NSO Group is liable for charges of violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act,