WhatsApp Alleges NSO Resumed Pegasus Delivery Despite U.S. Court Ban

Meta’s WhatsApp said it will ask a U.S. court to hold NSO Group in contempt after alleging the spyware vendor again used WhatsApp infrastructure to target users with Pegasus spyware, despite a prior court order barring such activity. Citizen Lab said the new allegations point to continued targeted surveillance through messaging platforms, with researchers arguing the reported conduct strengthens the case for ongoing sanctions and further legal consequences against NSO.

The allegations fit a broader pattern in which Pegasus and similar mobile spyware have been delivered through zero-click chains in apps such as WhatsApp and iMessage, often leaving only limited forensic traces. Prior reporting and technical analysis have tied Pegasus to exploits including CVE-2019-3568, while later research highlighted newer WhatsApp- and Apple-related exploit chains, artifacts such as CASCADEFAIL, and the need for high-risk organizations to rely on mobile telemetry, network monitoring, forensic review, and protections such as Apple Lockdown Mode to detect or blunt sophisticated mobile intrusions.