NSO Group Legal Battles: A Timeline of Key Cases and Controversies

NSO Group, an Israeli cybersecurity firm founded in 2010, developed the Pegasus spyware—a sophisticated tool capable of zero-click infections to access a device's camera, microphone, messages, and more. Marketed exclusively to governments for counter-terrorism and law enforcement, Pegasus has been implicated in widespread abuse against journalists, activists, dissidents, and politicians. This has sparked a barrage of lawsuits, regulatory actions, and investigations globally, focusing on privacy violations, unauthorized surveillance, and NSO's liability for client misuse. As of October 2025, NSO faces ongoing financial strain from U.S. sanctions and court rulings, including a recent permanent injunction in its flagship case. Below is a timeline of major legal battles, drawn from verified sources, highlighting key parties, issues, and outcomes.Early Cases and Accusations (2016–2019)

• Ahmed Mansoor Case (UAE, 2016): Human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor was targeted via a Pegasus phishing SMS, as reported by Citizen Lab. This exposed Pegasus's capabilities and led to a 2019 U.S. class-action lawsuit by WhatsApp users (including Mansoor) against NSO for exploiting WhatsApp vulnerabilities. NSO denied operating the spyware, claiming it only sells to vetted governments. Outcome: Contributed to broader scrutiny; no standalone resolution, but informed later suits.
• Mexican Targeting (2017–2019): Pegasus infected devices of journalists, activists, and anti-corruption figures investigating government crimes, per The New York Times. Mexican journalists filed suits in Israel and Cyprus against NSO for aiding UAE surveillance of Qatari targets. Outcome: Mexican government denied involvement; cases ongoing in early stages, highlighting NSO's export to human rights abusers.
• Omar Abdulaziz vs. NSO (Saudi Arabia/U.S., 2018–2020): Saudi dissident Abdulaziz sued NSO in the U.S., alleging Pegasus spied on his communications with Jamal Khashoggi before the journalist's 2018 murder. NSO froze Saudi deals amid backlash. Outcome: In January 2020, an Israeli court ordered NSO to cover Abdulaziz's legal fees; U.S. case contributed to FBI probes but no final damages awarded.
• Amnesty International Export License Challenge (Israel, 2019): Amnesty petitioned Israel's Tel Aviv District Court to revoke NSO's export licenses after Pegasus targeted Amnesty staff and Saudi defenders. Outcome: July 2020 ruling rejected the petition for lack of evidence, but hearings were closed-door.

Escalation and U.S.-Centric Suits (2019–2022)

• WhatsApp/Meta vs. NSO (U.S., 2019–Ongoing): Meta sued NSO in California federal court for hacking 1,400 WhatsApp users (including 100+ journalists and activists) via a zero-click exploit. NSO countered with immunity claims as a foreign agent and blamed clients like Saudi Arabia and UAE. Supported by tech giants (Google, Microsoft) and NGOs. Outcome: U.S. Supreme Court rejected immunity in January 2023; NSO liable in December 2024; jury awarded $168M damages in May 2025. On October 17, 2025, Judge Phyllis Hamilton issued a permanent injunction barring NSO from targeting WhatsApp, citing "irreparable harm," but slashed damages to $4M as "excessive." NSO warned this could end its operations; appeals likely.
• Apple vs. NSO (U.S., 2021–Ongoing): Apple sued in California over the FORCEDENTRY Pegasus exploit targeting iOS devices, discovered via Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul's phone. Seeks injunctions and disgorgement of profits. Outcome: Early stages as of 2023; NSO sought dismissal, but case advances amid Apple's security updates (e.g., iOS 16.6 exploit blocked in September 2023). Active in 2025, with potential for merits ruling soon.
• U.S. Entity List Blacklisting (2021): U.S. Commerce Department added NSO to its Entity List for national security threats, banning U.S. tech exports to the firm. Followed FBI investigations since 2017 into NSO hacking U.S. targets. Israeli officials lobbied unsuccessfully to lift it. Outcome: Enforced through 2025, crippling NSO's supply chain; contributed to 2022 layoffs (100+ employees) and failed U.S. acquisition bids (e.g., L3Harris in June 2022).
• El Faro Journalists vs. NSO (U.S./El Salvador, 2022–2024): 15 Salvadoran journalists from El Faro sued in California, alleging Pegasus hacks by the Bukele regime to suppress reporting. Verified by Amnesty and Citizen Lab. Outcome: Dismissed in March 2024 for jurisdictional issues; highlights challenges in holding NSO accountable for foreign clients.

Global Investigations and Press-Focused Cases (2022–2023)

• Israeli Domestic Surveillance Inquiry (Israel, 2022): Warrantless Pegasus use by police targeted journalists, activists, and Netanyahu allies, per Calcalist. NSO sued the paper for defamation. Justice Ministry probe confirmed some abuses. Outcome: August 2022 report validated limited misuse but downplayed scope; defamation suit ongoing as of 2023; no Pegasus export halt.
• Spanish Pegasus Probe (Spain, 2022–Ongoing): Investigation into unauthorized spying on PM Pedro Sánchez and Catalan politicians (e.g., Pere Aragonès). Implicates CNI (Spanish intelligence) as NSO client. Outcome: Ongoing judicial inquiry as of 2023; confirmed hacks in 2022 reports, but no NSO-specific ruling.
• UK Pegasus Investigation (UK, 2022–Ongoing): Probe into surveillance of UK journalists; part of EU-wide scrutiny post-Pegasus Project revelations. Outcome: Launched late 2022; no resolutions by 2023, tied to broader calls for spyware bans.
• Hanan Elatr (Khashoggi Widow) vs. NSO/Saudi/UAE (U.S., 2022–Ongoing): Suit alleging Pegasus hack of Elatr's phone pre-Khashoggi murder. Outcome: Filed late 2022; early stages as of 2023, with potential ties to Abdulaziz case.

Recent Developments (2024–2025)

• Corporate Ownership Battles (Global, 2022–2025): Internal disputes with investors (Novalpina, Treo) resolved by 2023 with co-founder Omri Lavie as majority owner. In October 2025, U.S. investors (led by Robert Simonds) acquired controlling interest for tens of millions, ending Lavie's involvement. Luxembourg/UK suits over assets proceeded to trial in 2022 but resolved quietly.
• French/Moroccan Probe (France, 2021–Ongoing): Investigation into Pegasus spying on French journalists by Morocco. Outcome: Opened July 2021; no final ruling by 2025.
• Broader Impacts: EU calls for sanctions (2021) stalled; UN and Council of Europe reports (2022–2024) condemned misuse. NSO's 2019 human rights policy faced irony with post-release abuses (e.g., Moroccan journalist Omar Radi in June 2020).

These battles have isolated NSO financially—valued at $1B in 2019, now struggling post-blacklisting—and prompted global reforms like Apple's Lockdown Mode and EU spyware regulations. Critics argue NSO's denials ("we don't operate Pegasus") evade responsibility, while the firm insists on its anti-crime mission.