In an important legal development, an American court has ordered the NSO group, an infamous spyware manufacturer, WhatsApp to pay $ 167 million. The decision comes as a result of the 2019 hacking campaign, where more than 1,400 WhatsApp users were compromised using NSO’s pegasus spyware. The lawsuit was initiated by WhatsApp, which claims violation of federal and state hacking laws in addition to the terms of service.

WhatsApp has recently thwarted a spyware campaign, which has targeted around 90 persons, including journalists and members of civil society in Italy. Although the Italian government denied participation, another spyware provider, Paragon, separated access to its equipment in Italy due to lack of investigation into misuse. This highlights the concerns on state-proposed monitoring activities.

Doncha Serbil of Amnesty International’s Security Lab recently called the attack a “advanced spyware campaign”. This attack active in the last 90 days uses a “zero-click” method, allowing the attackers to give malicious exploits through WhatsApp without any interaction from the victim. These exploitation were able to steal data from users’ Apple devices, even increasing the alarm about the vulnerability of the safest platforms.

WhatsApp’s original company Mata confirmed through spokes Margita Franklin that he “detected and patched” security defects “a few weeks ago”. The company has informed the “less than 200” affected users. However, there is no concrete evidence to hold attacks responsible for a specific unit or spyware seller. Such incidents underline the ongoing fight against sophisticated hacking efforts targeting the popular communication app.

Officially identified as the CVE-2025-55177 and CVE-2025-43300, the weaknesses were exploited, described by Apple as “highly sophisticated attacks against specific target persons”. These security flaws affected WhatsApp iOS and Mac applications, inspiring sharp action from Tech Giants to protect their users. The attack specifically targeted the “specific target users”, compromising its equipment and data in it.

In response to the attack, WhatsApp issued danger notifications to the affected users, indicating that the attack may compromise your device and the data present in it, including messages. ” The incident repeats the importance of vigilance against regular software updates and emerging cyber security threats.

This is not the first time WhatsApp has faced security challenges, especially from government spyware, which often exploits zero-day defects-unknown to the sector. Such danger users pose a significant risk for privacy and data security, requiring the danger detection and continuous improvement in feedback strategies.

Recently patch and legal actions represents an active approach to the safety of users by WhatsApp and its original company and declares those who take advantage of the security weaknesses accountable. As the dangers of cyber security develop, the need for strong defense and international cooperation becomes rapidly important in reducing risks.