IIRC most of these exploits require either physical access, or clicking a link in an email or text.
I'm not sure anyone will burn a no interaction zero day on a human rights journalist. I suspect that kind of thing is hoarded by the big boys for when life and limb are on the line.
The article mentions the no-interaction exploit used:
> The attacks utilized a cyber weapon called Karma. As Reuters reported in January, Karma allowed Raven operatives to remotely hack into iPhones by inputting a target’s phone number or associated email address into the attack software. Unlike many exploits, Karma did not require a target to click on a link sent to an iPhone, they said. Apple declined to comment.
> I'm not sure anyone will burn a no interaction zero day on a human rights journalist.
There have been multiple reports of no interaction zero days used on journalists, including in the article above. Turns out, authoritarian governments really hate journalists who aren't sympathetic toward their regimes.
True, but if you're a journalist I can't imagine how you avoid clicking on links sent to you reliably. And if something 'important' comes your way you might just elevate yourself to the "big boy" level of exploits.
A "click a link in an email" exploit is probably not too expensive to burn on a journalist, and "click this link in this email" is absolutely one of the top 3 attack vectors for ordinary users.
A a security-conscious journalist paranoid enough to use burner phones hardly qualifies as an "ordinary user", even if they aren't traditionally technical.
I don't think 4G/LTE encryption is a win so much as running your comms over IP, with application-layer encryption, is a win --- and that's something you generally need a smartphone for.
I'm not sure anyone will burn a no interaction zero day on a human rights journalist. I suspect that kind of thing is hoarded by the big boys for when life and limb are on the line.