The joint investigation by Citizen Lab and Confiant reveals that Discover-Tech operated a platform called Controlium. This infrastructure allowed malicious actors to profile millions of users and deploy spyware by leveraging IP addresses, mobile ad IDs, and browser fingerprints. Unlike traditional phishing, these attacks required no clicks, allowing hackers to compromise devices silently through the background loading of targeted advertisements.
Israeli Ad Firm Linked to Zero-Click Spyware Attacks
A digital advertising agency, Discover-Tech, has been identified by security researchers as a conduit for zero-click hacking campaigns. By weaponizing standard online ads, the firm enabled spyware operators to infect devices without any user interaction, marking a significant evolution in how high-risk targets are compromised across the web.
Among the firm's documented partners is Candiru, an Israeli spyware developer currently blacklisted by the United States government. Between 2024 and 2025, advertisements routed through Discover-Tech delivered Candiru-linked malware to at least 45 devices belonging to Al Jazeera staff. Following the disclosure, Google and Comcast-owned Beeswax removed Discover-Tech from their ecosystems, while IAB Europe suspended the firm’s vendor status. Security experts now urge high-risk individuals to utilize ad blockers and regularly cycle mobile ad identifiers to mitigate exposure to such automated surveillance vectors.
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