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Microsoft, Google join WhatsApp suit against Israeli spyware vendor

The filing follows reports that the Israel-based NSO Group's Pegasus software was used to hack the phones of dozens of Al Jazeera journalists.
An Israeli woman uses her iPhone in front of the building housing the Israeli NSO group, on August 28, 2016, in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv.
Apple iPhone owners, earlier in the week, were urged to install a quickly released security update after a sophisticated attack on an Emirati dissident exposed vulnerabilities targeted by cyber arms dealers.
Lookout and Citizen Lab worked with Apple on an iOS patch to defend against what was called "Trident" because of its triad of attack methods, the researchers said in a

Tech giants, including Microsoft and Google, have joined Facebook in support of its legal action against NSO Group, accusing the Israeli-based spyware developer of selling “dangerous” surveillance tools to foreign governments. 

The messaging service WhatsApp and its parent company, Facebook, sued NSO Group in federal court last year, alleging the firm’s Pegasus software was used to hack the mobile phones of more than 1,400 WhatsApp users, including those of journalists, diplomats and human rights workers. Lawyers for WhatsApp argue the breach violated the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and other laws. 

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