The case caps a six-year battle between the social media giant and the surveillance firm, casting an unusual amount of light on the spyware industry.

The Israeli electronic surveillance company NSO Group was ordered to pay $167 million in damages to WhatsApp and its parent company Meta, bringing a close to six years of litigation.

A California federal jury found that Israel-based spyware vendor NSO Group owes $167.25 million in punitive damages for enabling the hacks of about 1,400 WhatsApp users' devices. Why it matters: The damages deal a major economic blow to one of the world's most prolific spyware vendors and sets a precedent for similar cases.