Facebook Sues NSO Group Over Alleged WhatsApp Hack

[silversurfer]

Content source

https://threatpost.com/facebook-sues-nso-whatsapp-hack/149661/

Facebook has filed a lawsuit against Israeli company NSO Group, creator of the Pegasus spyware, alleging that it was behind the massive WhatsApp hack earlier this year.

In May 2019, a zero-day vulnerability was found in WhatsApp’s messaging platform, exploited by attackers who were able to inject spyware onto victims’ phones in targeted campaigns. A new lawsuit by WhatsApp owner Facebook alleges that NSO Group developed the surveillance code and used vulnerable WhatsApp servers to send malware to approximately 1,400 mobile devices.

“As we gathered the information that we lay out in our complaint, we learned that the attackers used servers and internet-hosting services that were previously associated with NSO,” said Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, in a Tuesday post. “In addition, as our complaint notes, we have tied certain WhatsApp accounts used during the attacks back to NSO. While their attack was highly sophisticated, their attempts to cover their tracks were not entirely successful.”

Facebook Sues NSO Group Over WhatsApp Hack

In a new lawsuit, WhatsApp owner Facebook says that NSO Group was behind the WhatsApp zero-day exploits earlier in 2019.

threatpost.com

 

[ForgottenSeer 823865]

Go Mark ! sue'em all ! ROFL.

 

[upnorth]

Facebook representatives approached controversial surveillance vendor NSO Group to try and buy a tool that could help Facebook better monitor a subset of its users, according to an extraordinary court filing from NSO in an ongoing lawsuit. Facebook is currently suing NSO for how the hacking firm leveraged a vulnerability in WhatsApp to help governments hack users. NSO sells a product called Pegasus, which allows operators to remotely infect cell phones and lift data from them.

"Facebook is a private entity and not a sovereign government or government agency for national security and law enforcement purposes and therefore does not meet NSO's customer criteria. NSO declined the sale and informed Facebook that NSO only licenses its Pegasus technology to governments," the declaration adds. In 2019 Apple forced Facebook to remove Onavo Protect from the App Store, and Facebook removed it from Google Play as well following a backlash for the user monitoring.

Facebook Wanted NSO Spyware to Monitor Users, NSO CEO Claims

In a court-filed declaration, NSO Group’s CEO says Facebook tried to buy an Apple spying tool in 2017.

www.vice.com

Spoiler

 

[Antus67]

Israeli company NSO Group espionage at its best.............these compaeny's go after each others throat money i the motivation

 

[plat]

I find this a little clownish, actually. But stories like these keep Facebook in the public's eye. A kind of free advertising also. Appeals to the romanticized cloak-and-dagger in all of us. ☠ ....Well, most. OK, some. A few? Anybody?