Scrolling past an ad is enough to infect your phone with malware
Source: cybersecuritynews.com
2026-10-15: Just Viewing an Online Ad Can Infect Your Device With Spyware, Researchers Reveal. Citizen Lab/Al Jazeera investigation.
2026-10-27: Hackers Use Malicious Instagram Ads to Infect iPhones With Spyware Without a Click. Hackers are using malicious Instagram advertisements to infect vulnerable iPhones with spyware while users scroll through their feeds. A documented attack used a World Cup advertisement to deliver the P7 variant of DarkSword, exposing sensitive information without requiring the victim to tap the ad, download a file, or install an application. The findings show how online advertising can become a delivery channel for mobile attacks. Unlike phishing, these infections do not depend on persuading someone to open a suspicious link.
Earlier reporting on spyware delivered through advertisements documented a separate campaign, highlighting how advertising infrastructure can help attackers reach devices during ordinary browsing.