Israeli-made WhatsApp spyware targeted US allies — report

Senior officials from over 20 countries that are allied with the United States were the targets of an Israeli hacking campaign through the use of the popular WhatsApp messaging service, according to a Reuters report.

US government officials say the officials were being monitored for the last year using a software called Pegasus, which was developed by Israeli private intelligence company called NSO group.

The report says a “significant” portion of the known victims are high-profile government and military officials from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Mexico, Pakistan and India.

Earlier this week, Facebook sued NSO Group in US federal court for allegedly targeting some 1,400 WhatsApp users with highly sophisticated spyware.

The lawsuit filed in San Francisco is the first legal action of its kind, according to Facebook, involving a nearly totally unregulated realm.

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