[KRAKRISMOTT]

> a private organization is available for-hire to arbitrarily root and snoop on fully patched iOS devices at state-level actor scale. If they get the exploits from in-house or elsewhere, the outcome is basically the same.

This is a distinction without a difference. The major Great Powers are all cyber powers. The only difference is that NSO services the non-Great Powers too, with the implicit backing of the Israeli state apparatus. The media has created NSO a cyber power broker for the powers that be, but all of the UN Security Council permanent members have their own defence contractors and cybersecurity staff. Talented engineers are everywhere.