Who Ordered The Snoop?: Twitter on NSO Spyware in Journos’ Phones

According to reports, journalist and activists in India were also targeted by the group using the spyware, Pegasus.

Twitter was abuzz on the morning of Thursday, 31 October, after several media reports citing a WhatsApp petition claimed that the messaging app has sued Israeli spyware firm, NSO Group for allegedly hacking and targeting phones of more than 100 human right activists, lawyers, journalists, and academics.

As per a report by The Indian Express, at least a dozen Indian journalist and activists were also targeted by the group.

In a statement, Facebook said the NSO Group took advantage of a flaw in WhatsApp's program that allowed hackers to penetrate through its flagship malware, Pegasus. Head of WhatsApp, Will Cathcart confirming the petition against NSO said:

Today @WhatsApp is taking a stand against the dangerous use of spyware. NSO Group claims they responsibly serve governments, but we found more than 100 human rights defenders and journalists targeted in an attack last May. This abuse must be stopped. https://t.co/iSMuwLa9yb

— Will Cathcart (@wcathcart) October 29, 2019