WhatsApp has alleged in new court filings that an Israeli spyware company used US-based servers and was “deeply involved” in carrying out mobile phone hacks of 1,400 WhatsApp users... [and] bears responsibility in serious human rights violations, including the hacking of more than a dozen Indian journalists and Rwandan dissidents... In the court filings last week, WhatsApp said its own investigation into how Pegasus was used against 1,400 users last year showed that servers controlled by NSO Group – not its government clients – were an integral part of how the hacks were executed... According to WhatsApp’s filing, NSO gained “unauthorised access” to its servers by reverse-engineering the messaging app and then evading the company’s security features that prevent manipulation of the company’s call features.

... “Our products are used to stop terrorism, curb violent crime, and save lives. NSO Group does not operate the Pegasus software for its clients,” the company said. “Our past statements about our business, and the extent of our interaction with our government intelligence and law enforcement agency customers, are accurate.”... The new developments in the case come as NSO is facing separate questions about the accuracy of a tracking product it has launched following the outbreak of Covid-19... our Covid-19 product, Fleming, has proved vital for governments around the world working to contain the outbreak. Well-respected journalists from several countries have viewed Fleming, understood how the technology works and recognised it is the latest evolution in analytics software - which does not compromise privacy,” the company said.