Advertising-Based Spyware Encourages The Use Of Ad Blockers

It takes ad blocking before malvertising and ad-based malware reaches the browser. (photo: dock.copilot)

JAKARTA - A recent report revealed that ad blocking software could be an unexpected defense against spyware. This is because spyware makers use online advertising to allow the government to conduct surveys secretly.

Spyware makers are reportedly capable of discovering and infiltrating specific targets with spyware using banner ads.

One of the startups working on an ad-based spyware infection system is Intellexa, a European company that develops spyware Predator. Predator's app can access all target phone content in real-time.

According to documents seen by Israeli news outlet Haaretz, Intellexa presented a concept system called Tehran in 2022 that allows the planting of telephone spyware via online advertising. The document includes demonstrations from the army system with a technical explanation of how spyware infects its targets and examples of malicious advertising: by "caring for graphic designers and activists with job offers, through which spyware will be introduced to their devices," Haaretz reported.

It is not yet clear whetherTEN has been fully developed or sold to government customers.

Another private Israeli company called Insanet has succeeded in developing an ad-based infection system capable of finding individuals on its advertising network, Haaretz revealed last year.

Online advertising helps website owners, including this, generate revenue. However, online advertising exchanges can be misused to encourage malicious codes to target devices.

Sending malware through malicious advertisements, often referred to as malvertising, works by injecting malicious codes into ads displayed on websites on computer and cell phone browsers. Many of these attacks depend on interactions with victims, such as tapping links or opening malicious files.

But the global existence of online advertising significantly increases the reach of government customers to target individuals - including their critics - with undetected spyware.

While no phone or computer is completely unhacked, blocking ads can be effective in stopping malvertising attacks and ad-based malware before reaching the browser.

Ad blocking - as the name suggests - prevents ads from being displayed on web browsers. Ad blocking not only hides ads, but also blocks underlying websites from loading ads to start. It's also good for privacy, as it means ad exchanges can't use tracking code to see which sites users visit when browsing the web. Ad blocking software is available for mobile phones as well.

Security experts have long advised the use of ad blocking to prevent malvertising attacks. In 2022, the FBI said in announcements of public services to use ad blocking as an online security measure.

"Everyone should block ads," wrote John Scott-Railton, a senior Citizen Lab researcher who has investigated government spyware, in response to Haaretz's report. "This is a security issue."