Meta Files Contempt Complaint Against NSO Group Over Alleged WhatsApp Phishing Campaign

Meta filed a contempt of court complaint against NSO Group on June 8, 2026, accusing the Israeli spyware maker of violating a permanent injunction by launching a new spearphishing campaign targeting WhatsApp users. The company said it detected and blocked the attempts after investigating user reports.

The complaint stems from a civil case Meta won last year, which barred NSO Group from targeting WhatsApp and its users and awarded Meta $168 million in damages. NSO Group has been appealing that ruling.

Campaign Details and Tactics

Meta said the campaign involved social engineering attempts that tricked users into clicking malicious links leading to external websites outside WhatsApp. The company described it as similar to previously reported one-click phishing campaigns linked to NSO Group. Meta also detected NSO Group creating test accounts and groups on WhatsApp, which it took down.

Key facts from Meta's blog post and court filing:

• The campaign resembled spyware infections that hit journalists and activists in Jordan from 2019 to 2023, according to Meta.
• Meta said it successfully disrupted the NSO-linked social engineering attempts after investigating user reports.
• NSO Group did not respond to requests for comment about Meta's accusations.
• John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, said NSO Group's actions argue for keeping the company on the U.S. sanctions entity list.

Implications for Sanctions and National Security

Meta argued that NSO Group's defiance of the court order underscores the need to maintain existing restrictions. The company is on the U.S. government's entity list, which it has fought to be removed from since its designation in 2021. Meta stated that easing those restrictions would undermine U.S. national security and put American companies and billions of people worldwide at risk.

Lawmakers have sought information on the federal government's prospective use of NSO Group technology, despite the blacklist, given close ties between the company's new executive chairman and President Donald Trump. The contempt complaint adds pressure on NSO Group, which has argued that the WhatsApp injunction threatens its existence and future U.S. government work. A court will now decide whether NSO Group violated the permanent injunction, potentially leading to additional penalties or sanctions.