Researchers say Israeli-linked spyware spread through targeted online ads
Malicious ads reportedly infected phones without any action from users, simply by loading a website or opening an app. Citizen Lab, a University of Toronto group, published the findings.
By Standard Topic. AI-generated from the reporting listed under Coverage. Published . Updated .
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What happened
Researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab found that hackers laced online ads with zero-click exploits. The technique, which Citizen Lab called AdFection and linked to an Israeli developer, installed spyware on targeted devices. Victims needed to do nothing beyond loading a website or opening an installed app.
Why it matters
Millions of phones were reportedly exposed, and the attack poses a global security risk. EU and NATO websites displayed the linked ads.
Timeline
- Oct 15, 6:00 AM ET: The Financial Times reported Citizen Lab's findings on the zero-click spyware technique known as AdFection.
- Oct 15, 4:32 PM ET: Citizen Lab published its findings on Thursday, detailing how targeted ads delivered zero-click exploits to install malware.
- Oct 16, 10:12 AM ET: Al Jazeera reported that the zero-click attack poses a global security risk.
Coverage
- How Israeli firm’s ‘zero-click’ malware attack poses global security risk (Al Jazeera)
- Targeted ads delivered 0-click exploits to install mercenary malware (arstechnica.com)
- Millions of phones exposed to Israeli spyware operation through online ads, researchers say (Politico Europe)
- New ‘zero-click’ spyware hacked phones using targeted ads (Financial Times)
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