Government spyware is another reason to use an ad blocker

The article reports that spyware vendors including Intellexa (developer of Predator) and Insanet have developed or demonstrated ad-based infection systems—such as Intellexa’s 2022 ‘Aladdin’ proof-of-concept—that weaponize online advertising (malvertising) to locate and stealthily infect specific targets’ phones, granting real-time access to device contents; the piece highlights the surveillance risk from abused ad exchanges and recommends ad-blockers as a practical mitigation.