Meta seeks contempt order against NSO Group over new WhatsApp attacks

Meta filed a federal contempt motion Monday accusing NSO Group of violating a court order barring it from targeting WhatsApp users.yahoo+1
WhatsApp said it disrupted NSO-linked phishing attempts and removed test accounts the firm created, publishing threat indicators for potential victims.Meta Newsroom
The action escalates a legal battle dating to 2019; a U.S. judge issued a permanent injunction against NSO last year after a jury awarded Meta damages.The Hindu

Meta announced on Monday that it is filing a federal court contempt order against Israeli spyware firm NSO Group, accusing it of violating a permanent injunction that barred it from targeting WhatsApp and its users. The company said WhatsApp had disrupted new spear phishing campaigns linked to NSO and removed test accounts and groups the firm created on the platform.yahoo+1

New Attacks Detected

In a blog post published Sunday, WhatsApp said it "successfully disrupted NSO-linked social engineering attempts" after investigating user reports. The attacks involved tricking people into clicking malicious links to external websites, which WhatsApp described as "similar to previously reported 1-click phishing campaigns linked to NSO."Meta Newsroom

WhatsApp also said it caught NSO creating test accounts and groups on the platform, which it subsequently took down. The company published threat indicators — including domains such as ikhwancast[.]com and ghazacast[.]com — so users could check whether they had been targeted across any platform.Meta Newsroom

Escalating Legal Battle

The contempt filing escalates a years-long legal confrontation between Meta and NSO that began in 2019 when WhatsApp discovered the firm had exploited a vulnerability in its voice calling function to remotely infect phones with Pegasus spyware. A jury awarded Meta roughly $167.7 million in damages in May 2025, though a judge later reduced the punitive portion to $4 million while issuing a permanent injunction ordering NSO to stop targeting WhatsApp entirely.Computerworld+2

NSO Group has been blacklisted by the U.S. government for actions deemed contrary to national security and foreign policy interests. Its CEO confirmed in court that the company seeks "vectors, or ways to access the phone" beyond WhatsApp, targeting browsers, operating systems, and other applications.yahoo+1

Broader Surveillance Threat

The filing comes amid a wider pattern of surveillance companies targeting WhatsApp users. In April, WhatsApp disclosed that an Italian surveillance firm had tricked roughly 200 users into downloading a counterfeit version of its app designed to spy on them, according to Reuters.reuters

Meta framed Monday's action as part of its ongoing effort to hold the commercial surveillance industry accountable, with WhatsApp stating it would continue to "fight to protect people's ability to communicate privately."about.fb

Sources (12)