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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Aisha Down

Online ads weaponised to deliver ‘zero-click’ spyware, researchers say

Overhead view of a man typing on a laptop at a wooden desk with a backpack
Millions of users worldwide have been served ads by Discover-Tech since 2024, say researchers. Photograph: Sergio Azenha/Alamy

An Israeli advertising agency has been serving millions of online adverts that allow “zero-click” spyware to be used against targets, researchers at a Canadian university have said.

Citizen Lab, a digital investigations research unit at the University of Toronto, said it believed dozens of devices at the Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera had been compromised by spyware delivered through ads run by Discover-Tech, which describes itself as a specialised digital advertising agency.

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