According to what NSO CEO Shalev Hulio said, Facebook tried to secretly purchase Pegasus spyware in order to monitor the activities of its users, especially Apple.
Pegasus is a powerful interception software, developed by the Israeli spyware manufacturer NSO, also known as Q cyber technologies.
The company claims that the software is only used by governments and law enforcement to identify criminals and terrorists, but it said that in some cases, technology is also used for individual users around the world.
Last October, Facebook filed a lawsuit against the NSO Group, accusing it of hacking the WhatsApp application, exploiting a zero-day vulnerability , using Pegasus to steal its users' data.
However, as the defendant in the case and NSO CEO Shalev Hulio now claims, two Facebook representatives contacted the company to purchase rights to use certain features of the Pegasus spyware.
At the time, Facebook was in the early stages of developing a VPN called Onavo Protect, which helps Facebook analyze user traffic and activities and send them through the VPN.
Facebook representatives had stated that the company was concerned that the method of collecting user data via Onavo Protect was less effective on Apple devices than on Android devices.
Facebook asked the NSO team to use the alleged capabilities of Pegasus to monitor users of Apple devices and was willing to pay for monitoring the users of Onavo Protect.
The Facebook spokesperson said that “NSO is trying to distract attention from the facts that were filed in court six months ago by Facebook and WhatsApp. Their attempt to avoid responsibility includes inaccurate presentations about their spyware and a discussion with people who work at Facebook.”
Facebook has removed Onavo Protect from the App Store and Google Play, following allegations that it was tracking users.
