Pakistan among most targeted by Israeli spyware: Report

TORONTO (MNTV) — Pakistan recorded the second-highest number of advertising bids linked to an Israeli spyware delivery operation, according to an Oct. 15 report by Citizen Lab, a research group at the University of Toronto.

Citizen Lab identified the technique as “AdFection” and linked the operation to spyware developed by another Israeli company, Candiru, now known as Integrity Labs.

Pakistan records 139 million ad bids

Citizen Lab examined nearly four billion advertising bidding records from Discover-Tech’s system between March and June 2026.

Pakistan ranked second globally with around 139 million such bids, behind Yemen, which recorded approximately 457 million.

However, the report did not identify the Pakistani networks involved.

Al Jazeera devices targeted

According to Citizen Lab, Discover-Tech acted as an intermediary between spyware developers and online advertising platforms.

The company allegedly used advertising infrastructure to distribute spyware developed by Candiru.

Researchers found that at least 45 devices belonging to Al Jazeera were targeted through this method during 2024 and 2025.

Citizen Lab attributed the attacks to Candiru with high confidence.

Pakistani user identified

The investigation also identified a user named “Pindi” who accessed Discover-Tech’s control platform exclusively from Pakistan.

However, Citizen Lab could not establish whether the account was connected to any spyware company.

Researchers also identified two other unattributed users who accessed the platform from India and Italy.

The report clarified that login locations only indicate where users accessed the system and do not establish whether individuals in those countries were targeted.

The researchers said an ad impression alone cannot establish whether a user was specifically targeted or infected with spyware.

Similarly, the bidding records do not identify individuals in Pakistan who may have been selected for surveillance.

Global networks also exposed

Citizen Lab warned that the wider online advertising system could allow spyware companies to identify and monitor users without their knowledge.

Following the investigation, Google removed Discover-Tech from its advertising platforms, while IAB Europe removed the company from its approved vendor list. Other advertising companies also restricted its access.

The researchers stressed that the findings demonstrate weaknesses in the online advertising industry and the need for stronger safeguards against spyware attacks.