Court document reveals locations of WhatsApp victims targeted by NSO spyware
a year ago
- #surveillance
- #cybersecurity
- #privacy
- NSO Group's Pegasus spyware targeted 1,223 WhatsApp users across 51 countries in 2019.
- Victims included over 100 human rights activists, journalists, and civil society members.
- Mexico had the highest number of victims (456), followed by India (100) and Bahrain (82).
- Western countries like Spain, the Netherlands, and the UK also had victims.
- The hacking campaign lasted only two months (April-May 2019).
- NSO Group's government customers may have spent millions on spyware licenses.
- WhatsApp's lawsuit revealed NSO Group disconnected 10 abusive government customers.
- A one-year license for NSO's WhatsApp hacking tool cost up to $6.8 million.
- NSO Group made at least $31 million in revenue in 2019 from spyware sales.
- A judge ruled NSO Group violated U.S. hacking laws; damages hearing pending.