Israeli advertising firm Discover-Tech allegedly operated as a front for delivering Candiru spyware through the online advertising ecosystem, in a campaign dubbed AdFection uncovered by Citizen Lab. The firm's Controlium platform exploited Real-Time Bidding ad auctions to de-anonymize, fingerprint, and infect users with zero-click spyware, targeting at least 45 devices at Al Jazeera between 2024 and 2025. Following Citizen Lab's findings, Google, IAB Europe, and other ad platforms removed or blocked Discover-Tech from their networks, with Citizen Lab recommending that defenders block targeted ads at the gateway as the most effective protection.
