Meta files contempt complaint against NSO Group for violating court order on WhatsApp targeting

The spyware maker allegedly launched new phishing campaigns against WhatsApp users despite a permanent injunction, raising fresh questions about the security of encrypted messaging platforms.

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Add us on Google by Editorial Team Jun. 9, 2026

Meta is going back to court against NSO Group, this time accusing the Israeli spyware firm of violating a permanent injunction that was supposed to stop it from targeting WhatsApp users. The contempt complaint, filed on June 8, alleges that NSO ran spear-phishing campaigns designed to trick users into clicking malicious links, effectively ignoring a court order that told it to knock it off.

The complaint names both NSO Group Technologies and Q Cyber Technologies. It centers on newly detected phishing attempts linked to Pegasus, NSO’s flagship surveillance tool.

A legal saga years in the making

WhatsApp first discovered in 2019 that NSO’s spyware had compromised over 1,400 devices by exploiting vulnerabilities in the messaging platform. Meta sued, and the case ground through the courts for years. A summary judgment in December 2024 found NSO liable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for accessing WhatsApp’s servers without authorization. Damages were later adjusted to approximately $4 million.

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The court then issued a permanent injunction barring NSO from targeting WhatsApp users going forward. Meta’s new complaint essentially says NSO crossed that line anyway.

The latest attacks didn’t exploit a vulnerability in WhatsApp’s code. Instead, they relied on social engineering, tricking users into clicking links that led to malicious websites. Meta emphasized that WhatsApp’s default end-to-end encryption still protects the contents of messages and calls. The spear-phishing campaigns operate outside the encrypted channel itself, targeting the human rather than the protocol.

NSO’s broader troubles

NSO Group remains on the US government’s Entity List, a designation reserved for organizations deemed a threat to national security. Being on that list restricts American companies from doing business with NSO without explicit government approval.

The $4 million damages figure from the 2024 ruling was notably modest relative to the scale of the original breach. But the permanent injunction established a legal precedent that spyware companies can be held accountable for unauthorized access to consumer platforms. Meta’s contempt filing now tests whether that precedent has any teeth.

If a court finds NSO in contempt, the consequences could include additional fines, stricter injunctive terms, or other sanctions.

What this means for digital privacy and crypto

WhatsApp serves over two billion users globally, many of whom rely on its encryption guarantees for sensitive conversations. When a sophisticated actor can circumvent those protections through social engineering, even while the encryption itself holds, it chips away at the confidence users place in these tools.

Pegasus and similar tools have been documented targeting individuals in the crypto space, where compromised communications can lead directly to stolen funds. Unlike a hacked email that might expose embarrassing messages, a compromised crypto wallet conversation can result in immediate, irreversible financial loss.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.