Israeli ‘ad’ firm helped infect spyware into Al Jazeera devices

DiscoverTech, an Israeli ad company, helped place spyware on over 45 devices belonging to Al Jazeera, according to a report published by Citizen Lab and the U.S.-based cybersecurity firm Confiant. The spyware was delivered through ads that did not require users to click or download anything, marking the first known instance of "zero-click" targeted advertising. Candiru, an Israeli spyware company blacklisted by the U.S., provided the malicious software used in these attacks. Al Jazeera condemned the targeting as a direct assault on press freedom and journalists' security. The report also found that DiscoverTech's ads appeared on over 120,000 websites and 75,000 apps, potentially exposing national-security-sensitive networks like NATO and the United Nations to similar risks.