not everywhere· Security· Updated
Israeli Firms Accused of Using Ads to Distribute Spyware
The Israeli digital advertising firm Discover-Tech, founded in 2020 and led by Dekel Boni, has been accused of spying on hundreds of millions of internet users globally and facilitating device hacking through online advertisements. According to coordinated reports published on Thursday, 15 October 2026, by the Canadian research group Citizen Lab and the US cybersecurity firm Confiant, the company's services provided offensive cyber firms, including the US-blacklisted Israeli spyware developer Candiru (now operating as Integrity Labs), with access to major advertising platforms managed by Google, Comcast, and Russia's Yandex.
8 newsrooms · 3 languages · since
What happened
- 01Israeli digital ad firm Discover-Tech is accused of spying on hundreds of millions of users and facilitating device hacking through online ads.
- 02Reports by Citizen Lab and Confiant state Discover-Tech provided spyware firms, including Candiru, access to major ad platforms like Google and Comcast.
- 03Discover-Tech's advertising infrastructure reached over 120,000 websites and 75,000 mobile apps globally, allowing tracking simply when an ad loaded.
- 04The spyware delivery method, dubbed "Ad-fection," allegedly compromised 45 Windows computers belonging to Al Jazeera employees between 2024 and 2025.
- 05Sensitive networks, including those of the US Pentagon, the United Nations, NATO, and the European Commission, were exposed to Discover-Tech's ads.
- 06Google, Comcast, and the European Advertising Standards Alliance have banned Discover-Tech and removed it from their advertising platforms.
Discover-Tech's advertisements, which often disguised themselves as promotions for ordinary products, reached over 120,000 websites and 75,000 mobile applications. The tracking and spying could occur simply by an advertisement loading on a webpage, requiring no user interaction. Through a method researchers termed "Ad-fection," the company's "Controllium" system was allegedly used to track users, extract phone numbers, and target devices for spyware distribution. The ads also appeared on networks used by sensitive organizations, including the US Pentagon, the United Nations, NATO, and the European Commission.
According to Citizen Lab, this infrastructure was used to distribute Candiru's spyware to compromise 45 Windows-based computers belonging to employees of the Qatari news network Al Jazeera between 2024 and 2025. In response to the findings, Google, Comcast, and the European Advertising Standards Alliance have taken action against Discover-Tech, removing the company from their advertising platforms and approved provider lists.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 6 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: Bizportal. Read Bizportal’s originalThe coverage
8 newsrooms on this story
Who covered it
- LeftNone
- Centre5
- RightNone
- HarediNone
- ArabNone
- Other3
Not in the Left, Right or Arab press
