Protect yourself from spyware by installing an ad blocker

An Israeli media outlet has revealed the work of several spyware companies to develop programs that infect devices through online ads.

Clicking on an ad could install malware. Spyware companies are working on programs that would be installed from online advertisements, reveals the Israeli daily HaaretzApril 11, 2024. According to documents viewed by journalists, a system called Aladdin was presented to customers by the European company Intellexa.

The file in question included a demonstration of infecting a target with examples of malicious ads. The ads in question could “ target graphic designers, activists, with job offers that would allow spyware to be installed » reports Haaretz. It is unclear whether Aladdin was fully developed or sold to government customers.

Journalists note that an Israeli company, Insanethas also developed similar software, capable of locating an individual within an advertising network.

Several companies share the spyware market, including Pegasus and Intellexa. // Source: Unsplash / Numerama

Online ads track Internet users

Thanks to cookies and various means of location, it is possible to push advertisements directly to a target's devices. Most infections occur after an interaction, for example by clicking on the highlighted link.

An ad blocker could therefore prevent these ads from appearing. These apps or plug-ins not only hide the ads, they prevent the underlying website from loading them. Advertising networks also cannot use a tracking code to know which sites users visit while browsing the web. Ad blocking software is also available for phones.

In 2022, the FBI said in a public service announcement that using an ad blocker was an online safety measure. Let us also remember that Intellexa is a European conglomerate, specialist in spyware, in which a French company, Nexa, works.