Meta said on June 8 it was seeking a federal contempt order against NSO Group, an Israeli spyware company.

The move came after WhatsApp said it disrupted new spear-phishing attempts linked to NSO despite a permanent injunction barring the firm from targeting the messaging service and its users.

Meta said the activity resembled earlier “1-click phishing” campaigns, in which one click on a malicious link can compromise a device or account. WhatsApp also removed test accounts and groups that Meta said NSO had created on the platform.

In the underlying case, a US district court ruled for WhatsApp in late 2024, a jury awarded damages in 2025, and the court later entered the permanent injunction.

The company said NSO used WhatsApp’s infrastructure in 2019 to deliver Pegasus spyware to more than 1,400 people across 20 countries before WhatsApp blocked the calling-system exploit tied to that campaign.

NSO has appealed the liability, injunction, and damages rulings in the Ninth Circuit. Meta also said last month that 12 civil rights organizations, security researchers, privacy advocates, and digital rights experts filed amicus briefs supporting the injunction.

NSO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

🔗 Source: Reuters

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