WhatsApp takes step toward winning spyware lawsuit after Israeli company no-show

WhatsApp takes step toward winning spyware lawsuit after Israeli company no-show WhatsApp has taken a step toward wining its widely publicized 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.