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30 October 2019A vulnerability inside the WhatsApp messaging system allowed an Israeli group to install spyware on smartphones of over 100 journalists, human rights activists and political opponents. The Financial Times writes today. Yesterday, according to the newspaper, the messaging service owned by Facebook contacted the victims of the espionage activity, which however had already been partially revealed in May by the FT.

The espionage activity would have taken place through Pegasus, a spyware designed by the NSO group, based in Israel. Once installed, Pegasus takes over all the functions of the smartphone.
WhatsApp announced to the FT that it will file a complaint in a US court, attributing the attack to the NSO itself. "It is the first time that an encrypted message provider has a legal action against a private entity that has conducted this type of attack," WhatsApp explained. Hackers managed to hit 1,400 phones over a two-week period last spring. Among the victims, politicians, religious figures, activists of humanitarian organizations.