AdFection: Targeted ads turned into a pipeline for zero-click mercenary spyware

kleiba2

uBlock Origin ftw

fergie

How does this actually work? Are they talking about browser fingerprinting or something else?

andunie

Do ad blockers protect against this?

andunie

Turns out Google killing Android privacy was completely useless as a way to prevent people from being hacked, but they might use this type of stuff to justify even more closing of supposedly "free" paltforms. Likewise, using privacy messengers like Signal is also useless if they can just take control of your entire device anytime they want.

amelius

It's fun to see adtech digging a hole for themselves ...

iugtmkbdfil834

Looking at the bright side, we might just be able to make people really dislike ads.

throw0101c

Actual report from Citizen Lab: * https://citizenlab.ca/research/how-discover-tech-turned-targ...

hn_submit

I doubt it's that easy to click on a link and install malware without the user knowing. Most browsers are highly secure and finding a zero day isn't that easy these days because both sides use A.I. to find vulnerabilities and to secure against them.

squidmaster

Israel has been a nexus of cybercrime for as long as they've been on the internet at all. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Download_Valley

freakynit

Of course, who else could it be.

bhouston

It is standard that companies within a country act in the interests of its security services. Israel has a lot of ad-tech companies and thus it makes sense that they are roped into serving Israel's security services. It is no different that Israel's location tracking of StarLink terminals worldwide: https://www.newarab.com/news/israel-tech-firms-can-locate-an... This is the same issue that the US government has with Chinese networking companies, it is too easy for the Chinese government to pressure these Chinese networking companies to put in back doors in the interests of national security. The US likely knows this because it pressures its own companies in similar ways.

underlipton

Chance of sanctions?

dankobgd

tel aviv impressed

slowin

> Related work by the research group Confiant also suggests that Discover-Tech’s ads have been shown to users of the networks of government entities in Europe and the US, as well as the UN, Nato, the international criminal court and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Yet we don't sanction Israel nor hold them accountable in any way. Of course they're spying on members of the UN and ICC, of course. Israel is at war with the entire world right now, and my politicians continue to support them. Thankfully many people have woken up, but the situation is dire.

schleck8

This is even crazier than the last time Citizen Lab found an Israeli zero-click spyware (Pegasus). You could call it a sequel

writtenone

archived, no ads or trackers: https://nonograph.com/online-ads-weaponised-to-deliver-zero-...

throwaway256436

Imagine if Iran did this... Or China, or Russia. But hey, it's Israel - all laws, rules, norms and ethics is suddenly suspended - so everything is ok!

igleria

Probably happens with Russia, US, etc as well, but the "hasbara" campaigns through the years have the effect of making people assume the mossad is all powerful etc etc. You inspire fear on your enemies, but also your friends. edit: and I have been hasbar'd now for simply stating the fact that making people fear you instead of love you has consequences. oh well.

fhdkweig

A later submission has more comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50103000 , 57 comments 1 hour ago

sbdaman

>During our analysis of the Controlium platform, we observed that the source code mentioned an endpoint called “/csv-download”, which accepted start and end date parameters. When we sent normal HTTP GET requests to this endpoint without any password, special headers, or authentication token, we received logs showing which users had logged in to Controlium, and from which IP addresses. Absolute morons.