NSO Pegasus spyware was discovered on phones of activists, journalists, dissenters the world over some years ago. It is now likely being used by the US government which cried foul when the news first broke.
It was found to be a zero-click !!! spyware. Meaning you didn’t even have to click on something accidentally or ignorantly for it to get established on your phone. Then you were basically owned. They sold it to whoever, especially autocratic, authoritarian regimes who were using it to surely crackdown on any dissent.
Surveillance as a Service: The Global Impact of Israeli “Defense” Technologies on Privacy and Human Rights