Meta wins $168M judgment against spyware seller NSO Group

Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group must pay almost $168 million in damages for exploiting WhatsApp to deploy its notorious Pegasus spyware against users worldwide, the jury in a US court said Tuesday.

An eight-person jury granted Meta $444,719 in compensatory damages to cover the costs of addressing the breach, plus an additional $167.25 million in punitive damages intended to discourage similar future actions by NSO, according to a court filing with the US District Court for the Northn District of California.

The jury’s verdict, delivered after less than two days of deliberation, caps a six-year legal battle that has unveiled rare insights into the shadowy world of cyber mercenaries and their government clients.