Facebook is reportedly suing cybersecurity company NSO Group, claiming the company hacked WhatsApp users earlier in 2019.
The social media giant has accused the Israel-based company of using WhatsApp servers to distribute malware to 1,400 mobile phones, according to a report from CNBC. Targets of the attack were journalists, diplomats, human rights activists, senior government officials, and others.
It is claimed the malware failed to break the encryption used by WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, and instead infested a user’s phone to access messages after they had been decrypted.
Facebook has also named Q Cyber in the case, a cyber intelligence business affiliated with NSO, the article reports.
WhatsApp confirmed it had detected a cyber attack back in May which exploited its video calling system to send the malware. Worryingly, the attack did not even require the victim to answer the call they received.
The messaging platform added new protections to its system and updated the platform to ensure customer protections.
WhatsApp has worked with cybersecurity experts at the Citizen Lab, an academic research group based in the University of Toronto. The group is helping to understand more about the impact of the attack.
Facebook s currently under a lot of attention from regulators around the world in regard to its cryptocurrency Libra. Regulators are exploring the potential impacts it could have and the risks it poses. Last month, U.S. Treasury warned that it must face tough AML and anti-terrorism financing inspections.
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