Tech article
Citizen Lab says governments are abusing online ads to hack people with ‘zero-click’ spyware
Publisher description: The digital rights unit found evidence that dozens of devices at media organization Al Jazeera were hacked after being shown malicious online ads.
TechCrunch | Oct 15, 2026 | Zack Whittaker
Automated excerpt
Security researchers at digital rights unit Citizen Lab say government spyware makers are abusing global advertising networks to target and hack devices by serving malicious online adverts. The researchers say Discover-Tech presents itself as a legitimate advertising firm, but instead serves as a “bridge between ad vendors and the mercenary spyware ecosystem. ” Citizen Lab said at least two makers of zero-click spyware, Candiru and Bindecy, used Discover-Tech’s platform to target people. The devices were apparently hacked in 2024 and 2025 via Candiru’s spyware after being exposed to online ads packed with malicious code.
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