Saudi Arabia was monitoring political activists through their cellphones

Well this doesn't come as much of a surprise.
It looks like Saudi Arabia was secretly monitoring political activists through their cellphones. Even while some of these people were living in other countries at the time.

Military-grade spyware licensed by an Israeli firm was used in attempts to hack into smartphones belonging to journalists and activists, according to a new investigation by The Washington Post and other media partners.

The spyware, licensed from an Israeli company to governments for tracking terrorists and criminals, was used in attempts to hack into 37 phones belonging to journalists, human rights activists, business executives and two women who were close to murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Some of the hacking attempts were successful.​

Military-grade spyware found on journalists' and activists' phones: report

 

REF: Saudi Arabia was monitoring political activists through their cellphones
SUBTOPIC: Simple Technical Surveillance
⁜→ kazenatsu, et al,

PREFACE: Cellular Telephones pose all sorts of vulnerabilities to the users.

BLUF: With the 21st Century popular technologies people travel through are all sorts of vulnerabilities people unknowingly open themselves up to as they acquire devices. And the Cell Phone is just one of them.

(COMMENT)

First, this is a very strange idea: "spyware licensed by." No one licenses true "intercept devices or implanted devices." Just forget that notion altogether. While the National Security Agency (NSA) is an element of the Department of Defense (DoD) they simply don't allow their technology to be exploited.

A journalist just buys an off-the-shelf telephone relay station or maintenance equipment and puts it in between the target and the real telephone cell tower. You have your target and more. It is not the equipment you use (Samsung, Huawei, NEC, ZTE, Ericsson, Nokia, Airspan Networks, CommScope, Comba Telecom Systems), but where (mobile or fixed listening posts) you use it → that needs protection. It is like the A-Team. If you have the money, you just buy it. The smaller the operation, the lower the cost.


Most Respectfully,
R