Israeli ad company helped a spyware firm target Al Jazeera through online ads, researchers say
Researchers say Discover-Tech ads delivered zero-click spyware to at least 45 Al Jazeera devices and exposed hundreds of sensitive networks worldwide.
- On Thursday, Canadian cyber watchdog group Citizen Lab and New York advertising security firm Confiant reported that Israeli digital advertising agency Discover-Tech spied on internet users through online ads to facilitate hacking and deliver spyware to their devices.
- Discover-Tech secretly operated a program called Controlium that allowed mercenary spyware companies like Candiru to inject malicious code onto visitors' devices; the firm's ads covertly directed millions of devices to contact Candiru's servers.
- Researchers found Discover-Tech pumped out at least 10 million ads daily, reaching over 120,000 websites and 70,000 apps between March and June. No-click spyware compromised 45 Windows devices at Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera in 2024 and 2025.
- Google and IAB Europe suspended Discover-Tech last week for violating policies, while Comcast ad tech subsidiary Beeswax removed the firm 'following recent activity.' Five ad vendors and industry organizations disconnected the platform from their services.
- Calling the current advertising ecosystem 'a systemic security threat,' Citizen Lab senior researcher Wolfie Cristl urged regulators to investigate involved companies and fix systemic risks that enable malicious ad targeting.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Israeli firm used online ads to run vast spy operation, researchers say
Israeli digital advertising agency Discover-Tech spied on internet users through a sprawling network of online ads that it used to track targets and help hack their devices, two research groups said on Thursday.
Discover-Tech’s infected ads were displayed on more than 120,000 websites and 75,000 apps. Palestinians and the European Commission on the list of possible surveillance targets. The post Israeli advertising company planted surveillance software on the Internet – “Hundreds of millions of users” were exposed to viruses appeared first on in.gr.
Israeli Firm Accused of Using Online Ads to Run Massive Global Spy Operation
Israeli digital advertising agency Discover-Tech has been accused of spying on internet users through a vast network of ads, allowing it to track individuals and assist in hacking their devices, as reported by Citizen Lab and Confiant. Discover-Tech enabled access to various online advertising platforms for Candiru, a spyware firm blacklisted by the US, among […]
Israeli Firms Placed Spyware at Al Jazeera via Ads, Report ...
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