# Targeted ads delivered zero-click exploits to install mercenary spyware

https://mins.news/en/item/102197

- Ars Technica, 2026-10-15 20:32 UTC
- Tech
- Original: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/10/targeted-ads-delivered-0-click-exploits-to-install-mercenary-malware/

> Researchers say mercenary hackers embedded zero-click exploits in ads, infecting devices when targets merely loaded a website or opened an installed app. A University of Toronto Citizen Lab report says this may be the first confirmed case of zero-click mercenary spyware delivered through targeted ads. It confirmed that the AdFection campaign infected 45 Al Jazeera devices in 2024 and 2025.

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