Now Apple has followed WhatsApp and its parent company Meta (formerly known as Facebook) in suing Pegasus spyware maker NSO Group. Along with promising new information about how NSO Group infected targeted iPhones via a zero-click exploit that researchers later dubbed ForcedEntry, Apple says it’s seeking a permanent injunction to ban NSO Group from using any Apple software, services, or devices.
Senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi didn’t mention sideloading this time but says in a statement, State-sponsored actors like the NSO Group spend millions of dollars on sophisticated surveillance technologies without effective accountability. That needs to change…Apple devices are the most secure consumer hardware on the market — but private companies developing state-sponsored spyware have become even more dangerous. Apple and WhatsApp aren’t alone in their push against NSO Group in court, as last year, tech companies including Microsoft and Google filed a brief supporting Facebook’s lawsuit.