{
  "id": 15054255,
  "title": "An Israeli firm is sending zero-click spyware through online ads",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/an-israeli-firm-is-sending-zero-click-spyware-through-online-ads",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-15T17:01:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hacker News Best",
    "slug": "hacker-news-best",
    "url": "https://www.theverge.com/tech/1011956/discover-tech-zero-click-ads-spyware"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An Israeli advertising technology firm collaborated with spyware companies to deploy zero-click malware via targeted online advertisements, according to a joint investigation by Citizen Lab and Confiant. This marks the first documented instance of a zero-click attack delivered through online ads. The ad firm, Discover-Tech, masquerades as a conventional online advertising agency but functions as a conduit for hacking groups to disseminate malicious ads across the internet. It operates Controlium, a platform enabling its spyware partners to profile and de-anonymize millions of individuals, identify their devices, and precisely target them for zero-click hacking. Candiru, another Israeli spyware company blacklisted by the US government, is among Discover-Tech's clients. In 2024 and 2025, the partnership delivered Candiru-linked spyware to Al Jazeera, a Qatari news network, targeting \"at least\" 45 devices. The security researchers urge the advertising industry to bolster platform security. Both Google and the Comcast-owned advertising firm Beeswax have since removed Discover-Tech from their platforms, while IAB Europe has suspended the company from its list of approved vendors. Researchers also advise high-risk users to employ ad blockers, disable ad tracking, and routinely reset mobile ad IDs.",
  "summary": "Article URL: https://www.theverge.com/tech/1011956/discover-tech-zero-click-ads-spyware Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50106676 Points: 245 # Comments: 13",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "How Israeli firm’s ‘zero-click’ malware attack poses global security risk",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/how-israeli-firms-zero-click-malware-attack-poses-global-security-risk",
        "published": "2026-10-16T14:12:13.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}