Israeli ad firm used online ads to deploy zero-click spyware

Security researchers at Citizen Lab and Confiant report that Discover-Tech, an Israeli advertising technology firm, collaborated with spyware companies to infect devices through targeted online advertisements. The investigation found that users could be compromised simply by viewing an ad, requiring no further action. This marks the first instance where researchers have uncovered technical evidence of a zero-click attack delivered specifically via the targeted advertising pipeline. The firm presented itself as a standard online advertising agency, but the researchers describe it as a conduit for hacking groups to place malicious ads across the web. The group identified Al Jazeera among the entities whose devices were affected by the campaign. NBC News previously reported on the findings.