AdFection: Targeted ads turned into a pipeline for zero-click mercenary spyware citizenlab.ca

Citizen Lab says Israeli ad company Discover-Tech enabled Candiru spyware attacks through targeted ads, documenting zero-click infections of at least 45 Al Jazeera devices in 2024 and 2025. Its report says Discover-Tech’s Controlium platform could select targets by advertising ID, browser ID or IP address, and that analysis of four billion bid records found its ads on nearly 200,000 sites and apps; several ad platforms have since cut off the company.