# Researchers link targeted online ads to spyware attacks on Al Jazeera

_Published Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 2:18 PM EDT · Security · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![A laptop surrounded by green and pink message boxes that say “warning.” — Primary](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23318436/akrales_220309_4977_0258.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.732984293194%2C100%2C78.534031413613&w=1200)

Citizen Lab and Confiant found technical evidence that targeted online advertisements delivered spyware without requiring users to click, The Verge reports. The researchers linked Israeli advertising firm Discover-Tech to ads that delivered Candiru-linked spyware targeting at least 45 Al Jazeera devices in 2024 and 2025.

Researchers say Discover-Tech's Controlium platform lets spyware partners profile people and select targets using IP addresses, mobile advertising IDs or browser identifiers. Google and Comcast-owned Beeswax have removed Discover-Tech from their platforms, while IAB Europe suspended it from its approved vendor list.

## Sources

- [theverge.com](https://www.theverge.com/tech/1011956/discover-tech-zero-click-ads-spyware)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/uh1UqctKsvWbHd647LqSzL
Published: 2026-10-15T18:18:54.959Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-15T14:10:50.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-15T21:05:50.445Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)