Mark Zuckerberg: Israeli NSO can try to defend legality of actions
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg released comments Saturday afternoon on the current lawsuit launched that accuses Israeli spyware vendor NSO itself of exploiting a flaw in WhatsApp messaging service.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg(photo credit: REUTERS)Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg released comments Saturday afternoon on the current lawsuit the social media giant launched that accuses Israeli spyware vendor NSO of exploiting a flaw in Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service to hack 1,400 users.Zuckerberg said that NSO can defend itself in court if they think what they do is legal. NSO group has faced strong criticism for industry practices and allegations of selling its spy technology for use by regimes with poor human rights records, including Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Bahrain.NSO is known in the cybersecurity world for its "Pegasus" program. The software can capture everything on a phone, including the plain text of encrypted messages, and commandeer it to record audio.Pegasus has allegedly been used in numerous instances of spying, including by the Mexican government to spy on an activist involved in investigating the 2014 Iguala mass kidnapping, and by Saudi Arabia against an associate of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in order to gain information on the latter.Similarly, Amazon owner Jeff Bezos had his mobile phone hacked in 2018 through a WhatsApp message reportedly sent by the personal account of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.Other cases include the targeting of Indian journalists, lawyers, senior government officials and activists prior to the Indian national election by the Narendra Modi-led government.In 2017, the American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began investigating NSO to see whether the company engaged in possible hacks targeting American residents and companies, in addition to intelligence-gathering on governments.
