Israeli digital advertising agency Discover-Tech is accused of using a network of online ads to track internet users and help deliver spyware to targeted devices, according to two separate research groups. Multiple outlets report that the activity involved manipulating ad placements to reach specific targets, including computers linked to Al Jazeera.
The Jerusalem Post and other reports say the ad platforms were used in a way that enabled Candiru—a spyware company blacklisted by the US government—to install surveillance software on visitors to large numbers of websites associated with or reaching Al Jazeera. Reported ad and platform access includes services run by major advertising and technology companies, such as Google and Comcast, as well as Yandex.
BNN Bloomberg and Bloomberg Technology describe the campaign as broad and coordinated, spanning many sites and users, with the researchers characterizing it as a significant example of how online advertising infrastructure can be repurposed for espionage. NBC similarly frames the case as years-long secret assistance to spyware developers via ads, while Al-Monitor and other outlets emphasize the researchers’ findings about tracking and hacking in tandem.
