WhatsApp has scored a major win in its fight against NSO Group, with the latter ordered to pay WhatsApp $167 million in damages.

NSO Group is the Israeli firm behind the Pegasus spyware software that has been used to compromise the phones of politicians, journalists, human rights activists, and more. WhatsApp sued the company, asking for more than $400,000 in compensatory damages for comprising the messaging platform and using it in the company’s attacks. The compensatory damages were based on the amount of time and money WhatsApp had to spend mitigating NSO Group’s efforts.

According to TechCrunch, the jury not only awarded WhatsApp $444,719 in compensatory damages, but also awarded the company $167,254,000 in punitive damages.

“Our court case has made history as the first victory against illegal spyware that threatens the safety and privacy of everyone,” said WhatsApp’s spokesperson Zade Alsawah.

The ruling “is an important step forward for privacy and security as the first victory against the development and use of illegal spyware that threatens the safety and privacy of everyone,” Alsawah added. “Today, the jury’s decision to force NSO, a notorious foreign spyware merchant, to pay damages is a critical deterrent to this malicious industry against their illegal acts aimed at American companies and the privacy and security of the people we serve.”

NSO Group is considering its legal options, including a possible appeal.

In the meantime, the ruling is a major victory for WhatsApp, privacy advocates, and consumers in general.