Securityweek Discover-Tech's Ad Infrastructure Used for Zero-Click Spyware Delivery
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- •Discover-Tech's ad infrastructure was exploited for zero-click spyware delivery.
- •At least 45 devices at Al Jazeera were confirmed compromised through malicious ads.
- •Major tech platforms have cut ties with Discover-Tech following the investigation.
Investigations by Citizen Lab and Confiant revealed that Israeli ad-tech firm Discover-Tech exploited online advertising infrastructure to deliver zero-click spyware, specifically targeting devices of Al Jazeera staff. The operation, dubbed 'AdFection', utilized Discover-Tech's Controlium platform to hijack real-time bidding processes, allowing spyware to be deployed without user interaction. The investigation documented over 3.7 billion advertising bids and identified at least 45 compromised devices linked to Al Jazeera between 2024 and 2025. The findings also highlighted the potential for broader surveillance across sensitive networks, including government and military organizations. Following the revelations, major platforms like Google terminated Discover-Tech's access to their advertising services. The ongoing threat emphasizes the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures in digital advertising systems.
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Zero-Click Spyware Delivered via Targeted Ads: Citizen Lab Report On October 15, 2026, Citizen Lab revealed that the Israeli advertising firm Discover-Tech has been using targeted online ads to deliver zero-click spyware, dubbed 'AdFection', to devices without user interaction. This technique has reportedly infected at least 45 devices belonging to journalists at Al Jazeera between… 
Journalists Targeted by Malware via Online Ads Al Jazeera journalists were infected with surveillance malware delivered through online ads, identified as 'AdFection'. The malware, linked to Israeli firms Candiru and Discover-Tech, is capable of stealing sensitive data, including messages and audio. The attack was confirmed by Canadian cybersecurity firm Citizen…