Microsoft are, Cisco, GitHub, Google, LinkedIn, VMware, and the Internet Association publicly (via document) supporting WhatsApp in its legal case with spyware provider NSO Group .
The Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp filed a lawsuit against Israeli company NSO Group in October 2019, accusing it of spying on journalists, activists and others .
According to WhatsApp, NSO Group attempted to infect approximately 1,400 devices with spyware in an attempt to steal sensitive information from WhatsApp users
On the other hand, the Israeli company claims that Pegasus spyware is a legitimate surveillance tool, designed to help government agencies fight terrorism and other crimes.
However, security firms and other organizations have publicly disclosed numerous instances in which Pegasus spyware was used maliciously. The most recent example involved the use of an iMessage zero-day exploit to infect the iPhones of Al Jazeera journalists.
The document from Microsoft and other companies highlights that spyware, such as Pegasus, can be used by cybercriminals, as NSO Group does not share information about the vulnerabilities it finds on targeted platforms.
“The document also shows that foreign governments are using these surveillance tools, purchased from companies like NSO, to spy on human rights defenders, journalists, and others, including U.S. citizens, ”Microsoft notes in a blog post.
According to Microsoft, Pegasus spyware and other similar tools allow tracking a person's location, and can also be used to: download sensitive data, listen to conversations, read messages and emails, access photos, steal contacts, use Internet search history , and much more.
Microsoft and all the other companies that expressed their support for WhatsApp stressed that privacy is a fundamental right for everyone . Cyber surveillance tools, such as NSO Group's Pegasus spyware, threaten this right, as well as the lives of individuals .
“The extension of immunity sought by NSO Group will further encourage the growth of the cyber surveillance industry to sell and use tools to exploit vulnerabilities in violation of U.S.. Private companies must take responsibility when they use surveillance tools to violate the law or knowingly allow them to be used for such purposes, regardless of who their customers are or what they are trying to achieve,” Microsoft says.
Source: Security Week
