Synopsis
Meta has filed a federal court contempt order against NSO Group for violating a permanent injunction barring it from targeting WhatsApp. The spyware firm's new spear-phishing attempts, similar to previous "1-click" campaigns, were disrupted by WhatsApp.The company said its WhatsApp messaging service disrupted new spear phishing attempts linked to NSO, an entity blacklisted by the U.S. government for engaging in activities that are contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests.
These attempts were similar to previous "1-click phishing campaigns," aimed to trick users into clicking malicious links and direct them to external websites, Meta said in a blogpost.
"1-click" is a type of cyberattack where a single click on a malicious link or attachment is sufficient to compromise a victim's device or account, without requiring them to enter their credentials.
Meta said WhatsApp took down test accounts and groups created by NSO on its platform. NSO did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Last year, a U.S. court ordered NSO to stop targeting Meta's WhatsApp, a development the spyware company warned could put it out of business.
While the ruling significantly reduced the punitive damages NSO owed Meta to $4 million from an initial $167 million, the injunction itself was seen as a substantial challenge for the company, which faces ongoing accusations of enabling human rights abuses through its Pegasus hacking tool.
Meta said on Monday that last month it was joined by 12 prominent civil rights organisations, a coalition of security researchers, privacy advocates and digital rights experts, who filed their amicus briefs to fight NSO's appeal against the permanent injunction.
