How Israeli spyware used ‘zero click’ hack on Al Jazeera staff

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that a 2024 spyware operation targeted some of its staff devices using a newly described attack method it calls “adfection.” According to the publisher, the technique allowed spyware to reach phones or computers through interaction with online advertising content, without requiring the victim to click a link or open a file. The article says the method had not previously been known publicly.

The investigation focuses on Israeli spyware firms and says the intrusion affected Al Jazeera personnel. The report frames the attack as an example of how commercial surveillance tools can be used against journalists and media workers, raising concerns about device security and press freedom. Al Jazeera did not identify in the available text which staff members were targeted or what data, if any, was accessed.

The piece matters because it highlights the continuing evolution of so-called zero-click spyware, a category of malware designed to compromise devices with little or no user action. In general terms, such tools have been a major issue for journalists, activists and political figures worldwide. That broader context is longstanding, but the specific claims here are limited to Al Jazeera’s account of the 2024 incident and the ad-based technique described in its investigation.