Difference between revisions of "Discover-Tech"
(Create/update High-priority firm profile (Unit 8200 research)) |
(Link Chaia Services Ltd) |
||
| (One intermediate revision by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{short description|'''Israeli ad-tech firm whose Controlium platform delivered Candiru spyware via ads'''}} | {{short description|'''Israeli ad-tech firm whose Controlium platform delivered Candiru spyware via ads'''}} | ||
{{Infobox company | {{Infobox company | ||
| − | | name = Discover-Tech | + | | name = Discover-Tech |
| − | | type = Private | + | | logo = Discover-Tech_logo.png |
| − | | founded = 2020 | + | | caption = Discover-Tech logo, from the company's website |
| − | | founder = [[Dekel Boni]] | + | | type = Private |
| + | | founded = {{Start date|2020}} | ||
| + | | founder = [[Dekel Boni]] | ||
| hq_location = Israel | | hq_location = Israel | ||
| − | + | | industry = Digital advertising; mercenary spyware facilitation (according to [[Citizen Lab]]) | |
| − | | industry = Digital advertising | + | | services = Controlium; MyDSP |
| − | | | + | | homepage = [https://www.discover-tech.io/ discover-tech.io] |
}} | }} | ||
| − | '''Discover-Tech''' (Discover-Tech Ltd) is an Israeli company that presents itself as a digital advertising firm. In October 2026 [[Citizen Lab]] published a technical investigation concluding that Discover-Tech operated as a facilitator for mercenary spyware partners, and that its '''Controlium''' platform enabled partners to de-anonymise, fingerprint and automatically infect devices when an advertisement was rendered | + | '''Discover-Tech''' (Discover-Tech Ltd) is an Israeli company that presents itself as a digital advertising firm. In October 2026 [[Citizen Lab]] published a technical investigation concluding that Discover-Tech operated as a facilitator for mercenary spyware partners, and that its '''Controlium''' platform enabled partners to de-anonymise, fingerprint and automatically infect devices when an advertisement was rendered, a technique Citizen Lab called '''AdFection'''. The report provided the first public technical confirmation of zero-click mercenary spyware delivered via targeted ads, linking Discover-Tech ads to infections of devices at [[Al Jazeera]] with spyware from [[Candiru]] (rebranded as Integrity Labs). At least 45 Al Jazeera devices were targeted.<ref name="CLDiscover">Bill Marczak et al., [https://citizenlab.ca/research/how-discover-tech-turned-targeted-ads-into-a-pipeline-for-spyware/ How Discover-Tech Turned Targeted Ads Into a Pipeline for Zero-Click Mercenary Spyware], ''Citizen Lab'', 15 October 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref> |
| − | + | == Leadership and shareholders == | |
| − | + | Citizen Lab, from Israeli company records, identifies [[Dekel Boni]] as initial director and later sole director and chief executive, with a background in digital advertising. [[Eric Banoun]], whom Citizen Lab quotes ''Haaretz'' as describing as "one of the pioneers of offensive cyber in Israel", joined the board soon after the company was founded in 2020 and remained until January 2025. From April 2020 the shareholders included Boni, Guy Lants, Yaniv Basil, Zfanya Leib, Sergei Bartashevich and [[Chaia Services Ltd]], a company registered in the British Virgin Islands. Chaia ceased to be a shareholder in March 2026, and as of July 2026 the company was owned by Boni, Basil and Lants.<ref name="CLDiscover" /> | |
| + | |||
| + | Citizen Lab said it could not access Chaia's corporate records. It noted that Banoun had been listed as a director of a similarly named US company, Chaia Services Tech LLC, which was dissolved in 2025, and it linked Chaia Services Ltd to [[Sara Hamou]], who managed the corporate network of the [[Intellexa]] spyware group, on the strength of a ''Haaretz'' report.<ref name="CLDiscover" /> | ||
| − | + | That report, by Gur Megiddo of ''TheMarker'', was published by ''Haaretz'' in March 2024. Hamou appears as a Chaia director only on a reseller agreement attached to an anonymous complaint that accused Banoun and [[Maria Pulera]] of selling spyware without export permits. According to that reseller agreement reported by ''Haaretz'', whose signature her lawyer says is forged, Hamou was a director of Chaia. Banoun and Pulera also say the signature is a forgery, and Hamou's lawyer told ''TheMarker'' that she never signed the agreement. ''Haaretz'' added that even an authentic signature would not prove the involvement of her former husband, [[Tal Dilian]], because she had acted as a director on behalf of clients and may only have been providing services to Chaia's beneficial owners. [[Intellexa]] told the paper that it "does not now have, and has never had, commercial ties with Chaia Services Ltd". Banoun called the allegations "unfounded and baseless" and said the material behind them was largely fake.<ref name="HaaretzMegiddo2024">Gur Megiddo, [https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-03-02/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/send-3-million-or-ill-expose-you-israeli-spyware-deal-gone-awry-or-just-blackmail/0000018d-fc54-d73a-a9ed-fefd8f400000 'Send $3 Million or I'll Expose You': A Businessman, a Filmmaker and an Alleged Israeli Spyware Deal Gone Awry], ''Haaretz'' (English edition of a ''TheMarker'' investigation), 2 March 2024 ([https://archive.ph/fLzcm archived copy]), accessed 22 October 2026.</ref> | |
== Controlium and partners == | == Controlium and partners == | ||
| − | Controlium allows customers to target users by mobile advertising ID, cookie ID | + | Controlium allows customers to target users by mobile advertising ID, cookie ID or IP address and to push "controlled ads". Citizen Lab linked Discover-Tech activity to [[Candiru]] (Integrity Labs), to [[Bindecy]], and to the ADINT firm [[Intelos]]. Analysis of nearly four billion exposed MyDSP bidding records showed Discover-Tech ads on almost 200,000 websites and apps over four months.<ref name="CLDiscover" /> |
| − | Following disclosure, Google, IAB Europe, Beeswax, Vungle (Liftoff) and Eskimi took action to disconnect Discover-Tech from advertising ecosystems, according to Citizen Lab.<ref name="CLDiscover"/> | + | Following disclosure, [[Google]], IAB Europe, Beeswax, Vungle (Liftoff) and Eskimi took action to disconnect Discover-Tech from advertising ecosystems, according to [[Citizen Lab]].<ref name="CLDiscover" /> |
== See also == | == See also == | ||
| Line 30: | Line 34: | ||
* [[Bindecy]] | * [[Bindecy]] | ||
* [[Intellexa]] | * [[Intellexa]] | ||
| + | * [[Sara Hamou]] | ||
* [[NSO Group]] | * [[NSO Group]] | ||
* [[Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans]] | * [[Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans]] | ||
| − | ==Notes== | + | == Notes == |
<references/> | <references/> | ||
[[Category:Israel]] | [[Category:Israel]] | ||
[[Category:Surveillance]] | [[Category:Surveillance]] | ||
Latest revision as of 20:27, 22 October 2026
Israeli ad-tech firm whose Controlium platform delivered Candiru spyware via ads
| Discover-Tech
| |
|---|---|
| Logo |  Discover-Tech logo, from the company's website |
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Founder(s) | Dekel Boni |
| Headquarters | Israel |
| Industry | Digital advertising; mercenary spyware facilitation (according to Citizen Lab) |
| Services | Controlium; MyDSP |
| Homepage | discover-tech.io |
Discover-Tech (Discover-Tech Ltd) is an Israeli company that presents itself as a digital advertising firm. In October 2026 Citizen Lab published a technical investigation concluding that Discover-Tech operated as a facilitator for mercenary spyware partners, and that its Controlium platform enabled partners to de-anonymise, fingerprint and automatically infect devices when an advertisement was rendered, a technique Citizen Lab called AdFection. The report provided the first public technical confirmation of zero-click mercenary spyware delivered via targeted ads, linking Discover-Tech ads to infections of devices at Al Jazeera with spyware from Candiru (rebranded as Integrity Labs). At least 45 Al Jazeera devices were targeted.[1]
Citizen Lab, from Israeli company records, identifies Dekel Boni as initial director and later sole director and chief executive, with a background in digital advertising. Eric Banoun, whom Citizen Lab quotes Haaretz as describing as "one of the pioneers of offensive cyber in Israel", joined the board soon after the company was founded in 2020 and remained until January 2025. From April 2020 the shareholders included Boni, Guy Lants, Yaniv Basil, Zfanya Leib, Sergei Bartashevich and Chaia Services Ltd, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands. Chaia ceased to be a shareholder in March 2026, and as of July 2026 the company was owned by Boni, Basil and Lants.[1]
Citizen Lab said it could not access Chaia's corporate records. It noted that Banoun had been listed as a director of a similarly named US company, Chaia Services Tech LLC, which was dissolved in 2025, and it linked Chaia Services Ltd to Sara Hamou, who managed the corporate network of the Intellexa spyware group, on the strength of a Haaretz report.[1]
That report, by Gur Megiddo of TheMarker, was published by Haaretz in March 2024. Hamou appears as a Chaia director only on a reseller agreement attached to an anonymous complaint that accused Banoun and Maria Pulera of selling spyware without export permits. According to that reseller agreement reported by Haaretz, whose signature her lawyer says is forged, Hamou was a director of Chaia. Banoun and Pulera also say the signature is a forgery, and Hamou's lawyer told TheMarker that she never signed the agreement. Haaretz added that even an authentic signature would not prove the involvement of her former husband, Tal Dilian, because she had acted as a director on behalf of clients and may only have been providing services to Chaia's beneficial owners. Intellexa told the paper that it "does not now have, and has never had, commercial ties with Chaia Services Ltd". Banoun called the allegations "unfounded and baseless" and said the material behind them was largely fake.[2]
Controlium and partners
Controlium allows customers to target users by mobile advertising ID, cookie ID or IP address and to push "controlled ads". Citizen Lab linked Discover-Tech activity to Candiru (Integrity Labs), to Bindecy, and to the ADINT firm Intelos. Analysis of nearly four billion exposed MyDSP bidding records showed Discover-Tech ads on almost 200,000 websites and apps over four months.[1]
Following disclosure, Google, IAB Europe, Beeswax, Vungle (Liftoff) and Eskimi took action to disconnect Discover-Tech from advertising ecosystems, according to Citizen Lab.[1]
See also
- Candiru
- Intelos
- Bindecy
- Intellexa
- Sara Hamou
- NSO Group
- Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Bill Marczak et al., How Discover-Tech Turned Targeted Ads Into a Pipeline for Zero-Click Mercenary Spyware, Citizen Lab, 15 October 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ Gur Megiddo, 'Send $3 Million or I'll Expose You': A Businessman, a Filmmaker and an Alleged Israeli Spyware Deal Gone Awry, Haaretz (English edition of a TheMarker investigation), 2 March 2024 (archived copy), accessed 22 October 2026.