US judge grants permission for lawsuit against Israeli software firm NSO to proceed
How NSO secretly transmitted malicious code to infect phones with spyware
A judge of US district court in California has granted permission for WhatsApp lawsuit against Israeli spyware firm NSO to proceed.
In a ruling Judge Phyllis Hamilton said she allowed the case to procced as she had not been entirely persuaded by NSO Group’s argument that it had no role in the targeting of WhatsApp’s users.
According to Judge Hamilton it appears that NSO Group ''retained some role'' in the targeting of individuals, ''even if it was at the direction of their customers''.
The case will now proceed to discovery, in which both sides can request documents and records.
A WhatsApp spokesperson said ''The decision also confirms that WhatsApp will be able to obtain relevant documents and other information about NSO’s practices''.
Judge Hamilton also highlighted the underlying facts in the case, that someone sent malicious code and malware through WhatsApp's servers, did not appear to be disputed. I
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nstead, the lawsuit revolved around whether NSO Group’s ''sovereign customers'' were to blame, or the company itself.
Earlier, an Israeli court on Monday rejected a bid by rights group Amnesty International to revoke the export license of spyware firm NSO Group over hacking allegations.
NSO has faced multiple accusations of cyber-espionage on human rights activists and others, including by the messaging service WhatsApp, which is suing the company in a US court.
Many of the allegations have centred on the company's Pegasus product, a highly invasive tool that can reportedly switch on a target's cellphone camera and microphone and access data on it, effectively turning the phone into a pocket spy.
Amnesty claimed the technology was used against one of its staffers and petitioned a Tel Aviv court to revoke its defence ministry issued export licence.
The rights group added that NSO's products are helping governments commit rights violations "from Saudi Arabia to Mexico".
NSO has been in the headlines since 2016 when researchers accused it of helping spy on an activist in the United Arab Emirates.
Founded in 2010 by Israelis Shalev Hulio and Omri Lavie, NSO Group is based in the Israeli hi-tech hub of Herzliya, near Tel Aviv.
It says it employs 600 people in Israel and around the world.