The NSO Group Affair: A Cyber Surveillance Scandal and Its Legal Consequences
- barbarela48
- May 14
- 2 min read
NSO Group, an Israeli company specializing in cyber surveillance, has been at the center of a global scandal related to the misuse of its Pegasus spyware. This software, designed to discreetly infiltrate smartphones, has been used to target journalists, human rights activists, diplomats, and politicians in several countries. The discovery of these activities has led to legal actions, including a recent conviction in the United States.
What is Pegasus?
Pegasus is spyware developed by NSO Group, capable of infiltrating smartphones to access personal data, communications, and even remotely activate the camera or microphone. This software is often described as a cutting-edge surveillance tool, used by governments and security agencies to target specific individuals. However, its misuse has been widely documented, notably to target journalists, human rights activists, and political opponents.
Unmasking the Case of NSO Group
In May 2019, WhatsApp detected unusual activity on its servers. Researchers from Citizen Lab, working with WhatsApp, discovered that Pegasus was exploiting a software vulnerability to install itself on devices via a simple missed call, without user interaction. The Verge reported that WhatsApp quickly patched the vulnerability and, in October 2019, filed a lawsuit against NSO Group in California federal court. The complaint alleged that NSO Group violated U.S. computer fraud laws and WhatsApp's terms of service by illegally accessing its servers to install Pegasus on approximately 1,400 devices.
