Zero-click spyware infecting devices through online ads, researchers say
Researchers have found that powerful spyware is being delivered to devices through targeted online ads, requiring no interaction from the target to install. The technique, known as zero-click infection, means simply being served an ad can be enough to compromise a device.
Why this matters: This matters because the normal advice — do not click suspicious links, do not open strange attachments — does not help here. You do not have to do anything wrong. The ad finds you. That turns the entire ad ecosystem, which already tracks you across the internet, into a potential delivery system for surveillance software. The people building and profiting from targeted advertising have created infrastructure that spyware operators can apparently exploit. That is not a fringe concern anymore.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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