Security · Updated 16 Oct, 10:50 pm IST
Citizen Lab: Candiru Spyware Delivered to Al Jazeera via Targeted Ads
Why it matters for readers: It explains how attackers used regular ads to secretly install spyware, so you can understand why ad safety and device security are important.
- Citizen Lab identified a zero-click infection method called AdFection that delivered Candiru spyware when malicious ads were rendered without any user interaction.123
- The infected devices belonged to Al Jazeera Media Network, according to the Citizen Lab report.123
- Discover-Tech bought the ads and operates a platform named Controlium that Citizen Lab says enables de-anonymization, fingerprinting, and automatic infection of devices.13
- Citizen Lab linked Discover-Tech to multiple mercenary spyware providers beyond Candiru and found its ads running across many websites and apps.13
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Get startedHow this story developed
15 Oct, 04:13 pm · Hacker News (100+ points)
Zero-Click Spyware Delivered via Targeted Ads: AdFection
15 Oct, 09:31 pm · The Hacker News
Citizen Lab Traces Zero-Click Candiru Spyware Infections at Al Jazeera to Targeted Online Ads
16 Oct, 10:50 pm · BleepingComputer
Zero-click attacks used targeted ads to deliver Candiru spyware