WhatsApp gains Pegasus source code access in court victory

WhatsApp gains Pegasus source code access in court victory

NSO Group will have to hand over the source code of its notorious Pegasus spyware to WhatsApp, a US district court has ruled.

WhatsApp has been engaged in a US-based legal battle NSO Group, alleging that over 1,400 WhatsApp users in just a two-week period have been spied on using the Israeli company’s Pegasus malware. While the Israeli defense ministry considers the source code a state secret, US District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton has granted WhatsApp’s request for information regarding the “full functionality” of Pegasus.

Pegasus is a notorious spyware tool used by governments and security agencies to perform surveillance of persons of interest, by breaking into devices like the iPhone. Apple has worked to fight the effects of the spyware, warning journalists in Russia and users in Armenia about potential infections, among other actions.

WhatsApp’s case centers on the idea that the Pegasus spyware intercepts information from various messaging apps, including itself as well as iMessage, Skype, Telegram, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, and others. The Meta-owned service said it needed access to the “full functionality” of Pegasus in order to prove the allegation.

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