US judge finds Israel's NSO Group liable for hacking in WhatsApp lawsuit

A US judge has ruled in favour of WhatsApp in a lawsuit accusing Israel's NSO Group of exploiting a bug in the messaging app to install spy software allowing unauthorised surveillance.

US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, found NSO liable for hacking and breach of contract.

The case will now proceed to a trial only on the issue of damages, Hamilton said. 

Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp, said: "We spent five years presenting our case because we firmly believe that spyware companies could not hide behind immunity or avoid accountability for their unlawful actions.

"Surveillance companies should be on notice that illegal spying will not be tolerated."

WhatsApp in 2019 sued NSO, accusing it of accessing WhatsApp servers without permission to install the Pegasus software on victims' mobile devices.

The lawsuit alleged the intrusion allowed the surveillance of 1,400 people, including journalists, human rights activists and dissidents.

NSO had argued that Pegasus helps law enforcement and intelligence agencies fight crime and protect national security and that its technology is intended to help catch terrorists, paedophiles and hardened criminals.

Reporting by Reuters