Israeli ad firm accused of enabling global spyware surveillance

Research from Canadian watchdog Citizen Lab and New York-based security firm Confiant revealed on October 15, 2026, that Israeli digital advertising agency Discover-Tech utilized a massive ad network to track internet users and facilitate the hacking of their personal devices. The firm allegedly provided access to prominent advertising platforms, including those operated by Google, Comcast, and Yandex, to various surveillance entities, most notably the U.S.-blacklisted Israeli spyware company Candiru.

According to the reports, Discover-Tech's malicious advertising reached over 120,000 websites and 75,000 mobile applications by masquerading as advertisements for common consumer goods like headphones and smartphones. Experts from Citizen Lab emphasized that the infrastructure of the current online advertising ecosystem poses a systemic security risk to governments, private organizations, and the general public, as it can be easily weaponized for large-scale espionage campaigns.

The findings highlight a significant vulnerability in digital supply chains, where automated advertising systems serve as unintended conduits for state-sponsored or private surveillance tools. As of the report's release, there have been no details regarding potential legal actions or formal responses from the advertising platforms targeted by this campaign, though the findings underscore urgent privacy and security concerns regarding how digital ads are distributed and managed globally.