Security researchers say devices at Al Jazeera were infected with Candiru spyware (rebranded 'Integrity Labs') through targeted online ads, a technique they call AdFection. They identify Israeli firm Discover-Tech as the buyer of the malicious ads, running a platform called Controlium that can de-anonymize and infect devices automatically when an ad loads, with analysis of four billion bidding records showing ads served across nearly 200,000 sites and apps.
citizenlab.ca
· 2026-10-15
Security researchers at Citizen Lab and Confiant say Discover-Tech, an Israeli ad tech company, helped deliver spyware through online ads that required no user interaction to infect devices. The report links Discover-Tech's 'Controlium' platform to Candiru, a blacklisted Israeli spyware maker, and says at least 45 Al Jazeera devices were targeted in 2024 and 2025. Google, Beeswax, and IAB Europe have since removed or suspended Discover-Tech from their platforms.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-15
Citizen Lab researchers report that Discover-Tech, an Israeli advertising company, has been used by spyware vendors Candiru and Bindecy to deliver zero-click hacking tools through malicious online ads. The group says at least 45 Windows computers at Al Jazeera were infected in 2024 and 2025 after exposure to tainted ads, though it could not identify which governments ordered the attacks.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-15
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