Hacking case: WhatsApp 1 – NSO Group 0

WhatsApp has taken a step toward wining its widely publicised lawsuit against the NSO Group after the Israeli spyware merchant failed to show up in court, according to a notice of default entered Monday in California.
WhatsApp sued NSO in October after finding evidence that the hacking firm had abused a flaw in the Facebook Inc.-owned messaging app’s popular chat program to remotely hijack hundreds of smartphones.
The lawsuit – along with alert messages that WhatsApp sent to hundreds users alleged affected by the hacking – sparked disclosures about NSO’s surveillance work across the world.
The case was closely watched, both because of the high-tech surveillance angle but also because it was unusual for a major service provider to sue a hacking company on behalf of its users.