WhatsApp caught NSO Group defying court order

Meta-owned messaging app WhatsApp says it has detected and stopped a spear-phishing attempt linked to spyware company NSO Group. The attack is said to be in defiance of a court order barring the spyware maker from targeting WhatsApp.

WhatsApp sued NSO in 2019 after it was revealed that it had exploited a zero-day vulnerability to deliver spyware to users. NSO is seeking to overturn an injunction preventing it from targeting WhatsApp users, claiming that the company “suffered irreparable harm.”

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According to WhatsApp, the spyware maker violated the court's legal order.

The messaging app said on Monday that it recently learned of a social engineering attack that was trying to trick users into clicking on malicious links. WhatsApp shared several domains as an indicator of compromise (IoC), and says it was able to link the attack to NSO, noting similarities to previously reported one-click phishing campaigns linked to the spyware company.

WhatsApp says it also detected attackers creating test accounts and groups. These accounts and groups have been disabled, but further action is being taken.

WhatsApp says it is asking a federal court to convict NSO of contempt of court order prohibiting it from targeting WhatsApp and its users.

The company also said it is making a “significant contribution” to the Spyware Accountability Initiative , a fund aimed at exposing and ending spyware abuse.

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