Khaberni - Kaspersky warned that the data used in digital advertising systems could be exploited by sophisticated cyber threat actors to execute targeted cyberattacks, through identifying potential victims, tracking them, and breaching their systems.
Kaspersky stated at its annual Cyber Security Weekend conference for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, that digital advertising technologies rely on processing billions of ad requests to tailor content for users, based on data that includes their interests, browsing habits, device information, and approximate geographical location.
It added that the digital advertising system, although used for legitimate commercial purposes, depends on collecting and exchanging vast amounts of user data through multiple intermediaries, pointing out that this data has become a source of information that could be exploited by advanced cyber threat groups in gathering intelligence information about potential targets.
Attackers could misuse advertising platforms, real-time bidding systems, and data broker networks to identify specific individuals, monitor their activities and movements, and deploy targeted spyware that might work without any interaction from the user other than opening a legitimate app displaying ads.
Kaspersky pointed out that some advertising software could be used to redirect users to malicious websites that distribute malware, noting that it blocked more than 1.6 million attempts to redirect users in the Arab Gulf countries to malicious content in the first half of 2026.
The statement relayed by the lead security researcher at Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team, Maher Yamout, said that tools designed for precise commercial targeting could turn into a means for gathering intelligence information, allowing attackers to monitor high-value individuals, analyze their behavior, and target them via trusted applications and websites.
Kaspersky urged users to regularly update their devices and applications, and to adopt security solutions capable of detecting malware. It also recommended that institutions implement multi-layered cyber security strategies, in addition to regularly reviewing app permissions and using tools that minimize the risks of exposure to surveillance and targeted attacks through advertising technologies.
