Security News > 2023 > September > Probe reveals previously secret Israeli spyware that infects targets via ads

Israeli software maker Insanet has reportedly developed a commercial product called Sherlock that can infect devices via online adverts to snoop on targets and collect data about them for the biz's clients.

"Insanet is an Israeli company, which operates with full and absolute obligation to Israeli law and to its strict regulatory directives," the biz reportedly told the newspaper.

To market its snoopware, Insanet reportedly teamed up with Candiru, an Israel-based spyware maker that has been sanctioned in the US, to offer Sherlock along with Candiru's spyware - an infection of Sherlock will apparently set a client back six million euros, mind you.

Dodgy online ads don't just provide a potential vehicle for delivering malware, such as via carefully crafted images or JavaScript in the ads that exploit vulnerabilities in browsers and OSes, they can be used to go after specific groups of people - such as those who are interested in open source code, or who frequently travel to Asia - that someone might be interested in snooping on.

Sherlock seems designed to use legal data collection and digital advertising technologies - beloved by Big Tech and online media - to target people for government-level espionage.

"Since these ads are being served using known advertisement networks, anti-adware technologies such as not loading JavaScript, using ad blockers or privacy-aware browsers, and not clicking on advertisements should act as a guardrail against this attack," Dani suggested.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/09/16/insanet_spyware/