WhatsApp spyware attack was attempt to hack human rights data, says lawyer
NSO Group technology reportedly used against lawyer involved in civil case against the Israeli surveillance firm
WhatsApp is encouraging users to update to the latest version of the app after discovering the vulnerability, which allows spyware to be injected into a user’s phone. Photograph: Hayoung Jeon/EPA
Nick Hopkinsand Dan Sabbagh-The UK lawyer whose phone was targeted by spyware that exploits a WhatsApp vulnerability said it appeared to be a desperate attempt by someone to covertly find out the details of his human rights work.
The lawyer, who asked not to be named, is involved in a civil case brought against the Israeli surveillance company NSO Group whose sophisticated Pegasus malware has reportedly been used against Mexican journalists, and a prominent Saudi dissident living in Canada.
It has been claimed the would-be hacker had also repeatedly attempted to install Pegasus on the lawyer’s phone in recent weeks.
The lawyer, speaking to the Guardian, said he did not know who was behind the attempt to spy on him.
He said: “It is upsetting but it is not surprising. Someone has to be quite desperate to target a lawyer, and to use the technology that is the very subject of the lawsuit.”
NSO Group said: “NSO’s technology is licensed to authorised government agencies for the sole purpose of fighting crime and terror. The company does not operate the system, and after a rigorous licensing and vetting process, intelligence and law enforcement determine how to use the technology to support their public safety missions.
“We investigate any credible allegations of misuse and if necessary, we take action, including shutting down the system. Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
“NSO would not or could not use its technology in its own right to target any person or organisation, including this individual.”
It was the lawyer’s suspicions that he might be being targeted that led him to raise his concerns with the Citizen Lab, the cyber specialists based at the University of Toronto. “A couple of months ago, I started to get WhatsAppvideo calls early in the morning at weird hours. I was suspicious of them and contacted Citizen Lab,” the lawyer said.
