Governments are hacking people with ‘zero-click’ spyware by showing them online ads


Security researchers at digital rights unit The Citizen Lab say government spyware makers are abusing global advertising networks to target and hack devices by serving malicious online adverts.

A new report published Thursday by the University of Toronto lab, which investigates surveillance and digital rights abuses, said an Israeli company called Discover-Tech allows spyware makers to use its advertising platform to target specific people or devices almost anywhere in the world with spyware capable of invisibly stealing their data.

The researchers say Discover-Tech presents itself as a legitimate advertising firm, but instead serves as a “bridge between ad vendors and the mercenary spyware ecosystem.”

Read more…
Source:  TechCrunch News


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Two Zero-Day Bugs Open Millions of Wireless Access Points to Attack

    November 1, 2018

    Two zero-day vulnerabilities in Bluetooth Low-Energy chips made by Texas Instruments (and used in millions of wireless access points) open corporate networks to crippling stealth attacks. Adversaries can exploit the bugs by simply being approximately 100 to 300 feet from the vulnerable devices. A compromised access point can then lead to an attacker taking control of ...

  • Utilities, Energy Sector Attacked Mainly Via IT, Not ICS

    November 1, 2018

    Stealing administrative credentials to carry out months-long spy campaigns is a top threat. While industrial control systems (ICS) are the most talked-about when it comes to cyberattacks against energy and utilities firms, most attacks actually take aim at the enterprise IT networks used by these organizations, rather than critical infrastructure itself. The Vectra 2018 Spotlight Report on Energy and ...

  • New Stuxnet Variant Allegedly Struck Iran

    October 31, 2018

    A malware similar in nature to Stuxnet but more aggressive and sophisticated allegedly hit the infrastructure and strategic networks in Iran. Details about the supposed new attack are superficial at the moment, as there are no details about the supposed attack, the damage it caused or its targets. A report on Wednesday from Israeli evening news bulletin ...

  • Emotet malware gang is mass-harvesting millions of emails in mysterious campaign

    October 31, 2018

    A notorious malware family that has been on a resurgent path since last year has received a major update this week that will send shivers down any organization’s back. According to a report from Kryptos Logic shared earlier today with ZDNet, the Emotet malware family has started mass-harvesting full email messages from infected victims, starting yesterday. The Emotet group ...

  • IoT Flaw Allows Hijacking of Connected Construction Cranes

    October 30, 2018

    An attacker can send spoofed commands to the crane’s controller. A connected construction crane, from Telecrane, has a vulnerability that would allow cyberattackers to intercept its communications and take the equipment over. The internet of things (IoT) continues to add new types of objects to its footprint, as industries start leveraging connectivity to increase productivity, accuracy and ...

  • Dead Web Apps Haunt 70 Percent of FT 500 Firms

    October 30, 2018

    Abandoned web applications used by FT 500 Global Companies have exploitable flaws and weaknesses. A study of abandoned websites owned by leading global corporations hammers home the point that old web applications need to be properly mitigated or retired. Otherwise, these resources often haunt a firm long after they have been forgotten. Researchers at High-Tech Bridge used ...