Pakistan Among Most Targeted Countries in Israeli Spyware Campaign

Pakistan has been identified as the second most targeted country in an Israeli spyware campaign, according to an October 15 report by Citizen Lab, a University of Toronto research group. The operation, termed "AdFection," involved an Israeli company, Discover-Tech, using online advertisements to deliver malicious code capable of infecting devices without user interaction, linked to spyware developed by another Israeli company, Candiru (now Integrity Labs). Pakistan recorded 139 million ad bids from Discover-Tech's system between March and June 2026, appearing on websites like WhatMobile.com.pk and even on government networks. While the report identified a user named "Pindi" accessing Discover-Tech's platform exclusively from Pakistan, it clarified that ad exposure does not confirm infection, urging further investigation into potential security risks. The campaign also targeted Al Jazeera devices in 2024 and 2025, highlighting a broader scope of the operation.