An Israeli tech firm named Discover-Tech ran a massive spy operation through online ads. Two research groups named Citizen Lab and Confiant said this on Oct 15, 2026. They said Discover-Tech used malicious ads to track targets and help hack their devices. The ads often looked like normal products like phones or earbuds. They reached over 120,000 websites and 75,000 apps. Just loading an ad on a website let the spying happen.

Some ads would be used to help plant spyware from Candiru on users devices. Candiru is a spyware company blacklisted by US government in 2021.

The firm sent at least 10 million ads per day. A cofounder of Confiant named Jerome Dangu said it very likely touched hundreds of millions of people. The ads appeared in sensitive networks. This includes Pentagon, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the International Criminal Court. And it was shown to people in UN, NATO, European Commission, and more than a dozen national governments. The ads also appeared in networks of chip firms like Nvidia, Sandisk, Broadcom, and Micron.

Some regions were hit harder. Dangu said: "You go to almost any site in Palestine — any site — you find a Discover-Tech ad. It gives them a very complete visibility on the digital activities of an entire country." A powerful Candiru spyware delivered through these ads compromised 45 Windows devices at Al Jazeera between 2024 and 2025. Al Jazeera condemned the attacks and said those responsible must be held accountable.

Google kicked Discover-Tech off its ad platforms for violating policies. IAB Europe suspended its status. Comcast removed it from its platform. Yandex didnt comment. The firm Discover-Tech didnt return messages. Neither did Candiru.