Israeli Firms Allegedly Used Ads to Infect Al Jazeera Computers With Spyware

Two Israeli companies, Candiru and DiscoverTec, allegedly used online advertisements to install spyware on 45 computers belonging to the Qatari network Al Jazeera during 2024 and 2025, according to research by Citizen Lab, a digital forensics lab at the University of Toronto. The spyware enabled the companies to extract information from the computers of Al Jazeera personnel, the researchers stated. DiscoverTec, an online advertising firm, has reportedly used digital advertising systems for years to deploy such ads, including on systems belonging to Google's parent company, Alphabet, and the IAB Europe advertising association. Candiru, also known as Integrity Labs, was acquired in 2025 by the American investment fund Integrity Partners. Neither the companies, the fund, nor Al Jazeera responded to Bloomberg's request for comment.

Digital advertising systems allow advertisers to gather user data for targeted ads. The report highlights that the online advertising ecosystem has become a security threat, according to Citizen Lab Senior Researcher Wolfie Christl. "The online advertising ecosystem is a security threat," Christl said. "For countries, for the private sector, for civil society organizations, and for everyone."

Citizen Lab collaborated with cybersecurity firm Confiant, which specializes in detecting malicious ads. Confiant claims DiscoverTec is involved in espionage. Jerome Dangu, Confiant's CTO, noted that spyware companies use ads as an attack vector because it is harder to trick people into clicking malicious links in texts or emails. "We are seeing the rise of ad-based espionage," Dangu added. DiscoverTec reportedly operates a platform called "Controlium" that uses digital ads to profile millions of people, allowing spyware developers like Candiru to secretly breach individual targets through seemingly harmless ads that deliver malicious code without user interaction, a "zero-click" attack.

The U.S. government sanctioned Candiru in 2021, accusing it of selling spyware to governments that used it to track officials, businesspeople, academics, human rights activists, and journalists. Israeli entrepreneur Arik Ben-Nun, who previously founded surveillance companies Circles and NSO Technologies, was on DiscoverTec's board between 2020 and 2025. Between March and June of the current year, ads linked to DiscoverTec appeared on nearly 200,000 websites and in mobile apps across dozens of countries. These ads were found on sensitive systems, including those used by NATO, the European Union, and the Pentagon, as well as systems related to major tech companies, according to the report. While their presence doesn't confirm a breach, Citizen Lab stated it is a cause for concern, urging cybersecurity agencies, regulators, and lawmakers worldwide to investigate.