The breach reportedly exploited a vulnerability that allowed hackers to access devices through the Facebook-owned messaging service’s voice call feature. A Bloomberg opinion columnist went as far as to say this incident showed that end-to-end encryption, the type of security that WhatsApp and its rivals use to keep messages private, was a “pointless” marketing gimmick.

Other observers were quick to pour cold water on such extreme reactions. “That’s a bit like saying that you should leave your kitchen stove on in perpetuity since there’s a chance it could catch fire anyway,” opined Poynter, arguing that although communications security may take a bit of work, it’s still entirely possible. In WhatsApp’s case, hackers were apparently able to breach one “end” of the end-to-end encryption, but there’s still evidence that such encryption in general was impervious to the CIA as recently as 2017.

Scrutiny has also fallen on NSO Group, the Israeli cyber firm that reportedly developed the malware installed on breached WhatsApp users’ phones. NSO Group has denied any involvement in the WhatsApp hack, according to CBS News, which posted a “60 Minutes” interview with firm co-founder and CEO Shalev Hulio conducted in Mach. Asked if he personally sold his company’s Pegasus hacking software to Saudi Arabia for $55 million before the murder of a journalist critical of the kingdom, Jamal Khashoggi, Hulio said, “Don’t believe newspapers.”

Amnesty International has taken legal action against NSO Group in the wake of the WhatsApp incident, which reportedly targeted human rights organizations. Amnesty filed an affidavit with the Israeli government asking it to revoke NSO Group’s export license, according to Reuters. NSO Group’s biggest investor, Novalpina Capital, said in a statement that it would “do whatever is necessary to ensure” the company’s software did not undermine human rights.