Pakistan Among Most Targeted Countries in Israeli Spyware Campaign

Pakistan recorded the second-highest number of advertising bids linked to an Israeli spyware delivery operation, according to an October 15 report by Citizen Lab, a research group at the University of Toronto.

Key points

• Researchers discovered that at least 45 devices belonging to Al Jazeera were targeted through this method during 2024 and 2025.
• Citizen Lab examined almost four billion advertising bidding records from Discover-Tech's system between March and June 2026.
• The researchers additionally identified that the appeared more than 100, 000 times on Pakistani technology website WhatMobile.com.pk.
• The investigation discovered that Discover-Tech's additionally reached networks associated with NATO, the United Nations, the European Parliament, and administration ministries in a number of countries.
• Citizen Lab identified the technique as "AdFection" and linked the operation to spyware developed by another Israeli firm, Candiru, now known as Integrity Labs.

In practice, the investigation discovered that an Israeli business called Discover-Tech applied online to deliver malicious code capable of infecting devices without requiring users to click on the ads.

Citizen Lab identified the technique as "AdFection" and linked the operation to spyware developed by another Israeli firm, Candiru, now known as Integrity Labs. Pakistan Records 139 Million Ad Bids.

Researchers discovered that approximately 19% of the bids involved containing scripts capable of delivering attack code to selected devices.

Pakistan ranked second globally with around 139 million such bids, behind Yemen. It recorded approximately 457 million.

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In practice, the researchers additionally identified that the appeared more than 100, 000 times on Pakistani technology website WhatMobile.com.pk.

Additionally, Pakistan was among the countries where these appeared on government-operated networks. Nevertheless, the report did not identify the Pakistani networks involved. Al Jazeera Devices Targeted.

According to Citizen Lab, Discover-Tech acted as an intermediary between spyware developers and online advertising platforms.

For context, the firm allegedly employed advertising infrastructure to distribute spyware developed by Candiru.

Researchers discovered that at least 45 devices belonging to Al Jazeera were targeted through this method during 2024 and 2025. Citizen Lab attributed the attacks to Candiru with high confidence.

Meanwhile, the investigation additionally identified a user named "Pindi" who accessed Discover-Tech's control platform exclusively from Pakistan.

Nevertheless, Citizen Lab could not establish whether the account was connected to any spyware business.

Researchers additionally identified two other unattributed users who accessed the platform from India and Italy.

For context, the report clarified that login locations only indicate where users accessed the system and do not establish whether individuals in those countries were targeted. Hacker Uses '123456' Password to Breach Denmark's National Population Database. Ad Exposure Does Not Confirm Infection.

Citizen Lab clarified that displaying a suspicious does not automatically mean a device was hacked.

Meanwhile, the researchers remarked an ad impression alone cannot establish whether a user was specifically targeted or infected with spyware.

Similarly, the bidding records do not identify individuals in Pakistan who may have been selected for surveillance.

Nevertheless, the researchers cautioned that the sizeable number of suspicious highlights potential security risks and called on investigations to determine whether devices on affected networks were compromised. Global Networks Additionally Exposed.

For context, the investigation discovered that Discover-Tech's additionally reached networks associated with NATO, the United Nations, the European Parliament, and administration ministries in a number of countries.

Citizen Lab cautioned that the wider online advertising system could allow spyware businesses to identify and monitor users without their knowledge.

While IAB Europe removed the business from its approved vendor list, after the investigation, Google removed Discover-Tech from its advertising platforms. Other advertising firms additionally restricted its access.

For context, the researchers stressed that the findings demonstrate weaknesses in the online advertising industry and the need for stronger safeguards against spyware attacks. Stay Connected with ProPakistani.

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For now, pakistan Among Most Targeted Countries in Israeli Spyware Campaign remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.