Pakistan ranks second globally in exposure to Israeli spyware-linked online ads, Citizen Lab finds

Pakistan recorded about 139 million online advertising bids tied to a system capable of delivering Israeli spyware, placing it second among countries measured, Citizen Lab reported on October 15. Only Yemen had a higher count, at about 457 million, while the ads appeared more than 100,000 times on Pakistani website whatmobile.com.pk.

The University of Toronto research group examined nearly four billion bids from March to June 2026 and said roughly 19% involved ads with scripts able to deliver attack code. It linked the operation with high confidence to spyware made by Candiru, now known as Integrity Labs, but stressed that ad appearances do not prove targeting or infection; its data identified no Pakistani target. Researchers called for inquiries into possible infections on affected networks, including government-operated networks in Pakistan whose identities were not disclosed.