WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Senior government authorities in numerous U.S.- associated nations were focused on not long ago with hacking programming that utilized Facebook Inc's WhatsApp to assume control over clients' telephones, as indicated by individuals acquainted with the informing organization's examination.Sources acquainted with WhatsApp's interior examination concerning the break said a "huge" segment of the realized unfortunate casualties are prominent government and military authorities spread crosswise over at any rate 20 nations on five mainlands.The hacking of a more extensive gathering of top government authorities' cell phones than recently announced recommends the WhatsApp digital interruption could have wide political and strategic results.WhatsApp documented a claim on Tuesday against Israeli hacking instrument engineer NSO Group. The Facebook-possessed programming goliath claims that NSO Group manufactured and sold a hacking stage that misused an imperfection in WhatsApp-claimed servers to assist customers with hacking into the cellphones of at any rate 1,400 clients.While it isn't clear who utilized the product to hack authorities' telephones, NSO says it sells its spyware only to government clients.A few unfortunate casualties are in the United States, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Mexico, Pakistan and India, said individuals acquainted with the examination. Reuters couldn't confirm whether unfortunate casualties from these nations included government authorities.The disclosure comes as in excess of twelve Indian writers and human rights activists said on Thursday they were likewise focused on.NSO didn't quickly react to a solicitation for input. Beforehand it has denied any bad behavior, saying its items are just intended to assist governments with getting fear based oppressors and hoodlums.Throughout the most recent quite a long while, cybersecurity scientists have found NSO items utilized against a wide scope of targets, incorporating dissenters in nations under dictator rule. The utilization of these apparatuses to target prominent government officials, be that as it may, is less comprehended.An autonomous research gathering working with WhatsApp, named CitizenLab, said at any rate 100 of the exploited people are writers and dissenters, not crooks.WhatsApp has said it sent admonition warnings to influenced clients not long ago."It is an open mystery that numerous advancements marked for law requirement examinations are utilized for state-on-state and political reconnaissance," said John Scott-Railton, a senior scientist with CitizenLab.WhatsApp didn't recognize the customers of NSO Group, who eventually picked the objectives.