WEBVTT 1 00:00:14.250 --> 00:00:18.890 Good afternoon. It's five past three in the afternoon on Friday the 16th of October. 2 00:00:19.010 --> 00:00:21.330 This is Not Perfect News. I'm James. 3 00:00:21.450 --> 00:00:22.290 And I'm Julie. 4 00:00:22.410 --> 00:00:24.430 Here are today's main stories. 5 00:00:24.550 --> 00:00:31.080 Official figures show suicide rates have reached a new peak among middle-aged men across England and Wales. 6 00:00:31.200 --> 00:00:38.430 The government has introduced a strict ban on pornography depicting choking and incest in England and Wales. 7 00:00:38.550 --> 00:00:46.630 Coming up, artificial intelligence, technology, and today's feature: Online Adverts Weaponised for Zero-Click Spyware Attacks. 8 00:00:46.750 --> 00:00:52.130 This programme is researched and voiced using AI, and every source is on our website. 9 00:00:52.250 --> 00:00:53.960 Here's Julie with the world news. 10 00:00:54.660 --> 00:01:01.730 Thanks, James. A missile attack on the presidential palace in Aden has killed five people and injured sixteen others. 11 00:01:01.850 --> 00:01:06.170 The prime minister and government ministers escaped unhurt during the strike. 12 00:01:06.290 --> 00:01:12.220 Vessel attacks near the Strait of Hormuz have reached a record weekly high with twelve ships targeted. 13 00:01:12.340 --> 00:01:16.800 Two more ships have sunk in the past twenty-four hours after projectile strikes. 14 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:22.450 Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinians and set fire to olive trees in the occupied West Bank. 15 00:01:22.570 --> 00:01:26.840 Journalists and observers were also reported injured during the annual olive harvest. 16 00:01:26.960 --> 00:01:29.090 Here's James with the UK news. 17 00:01:29.790 --> 00:01:36.750 Thanks, Julie. Suicide rates among middle aged men have reached their highest level on record in England and Wales. 18 00:01:36.870 --> 00:01:43.020 Official data shows a worrying peak, prompting urgent concern from public health charities across the country. 19 00:01:43.140 --> 00:01:46.980 A former police sergeant has been jailed for twelve years at the High Court in Glasgow. 20 00:01:47.100 --> 00:01:51.210 Campbell Petrie was convicted of physical and sexual abuse against two women. 21 00:01:51.330 --> 00:01:58.080 The government is banning online pornography depicting choking and incest in England and Wales from November sixth. 22 00:01:58.200 --> 00:02:03.370 Ministers say the regulation supports ongoing efforts to halve violence against women. 23 00:02:03.490 --> 00:02:06.410 Here's Julie with the technology and AI news. 24 00:02:07.110 --> 00:02:14.800 Thanks, James. Anthropic has given the nonprofit AI safety group METR employee-level access to its systems to conduct evaluations. 25 00:02:14.920 --> 00:02:23.760 US senators have demanded an urgent investigation into reported disruptions to SpaceX Starlink satellite internet services used by Ukraine. 26 00:02:23.880 --> 00:02:30.430 Eight US states have launched a lawsuit against OpenAI alleging the company harms young users and misleads parents. 27 00:02:30.550 --> 00:02:32.330 Here's James with today's feature. 28 00:02:33.030 --> 00:02:40.420 Thanks, Julie. Researchers at the University of Toronto have published findings revealing a new cyber espionage operation. 29 00:02:40.540 --> 00:02:44.570 The report was released on the fifteenth of October twenty twenty-six. 30 00:02:44.690 --> 00:02:54.950 It details how an Israeli advertising agency named Discover-Tech served online advertisements capable of delivering zero-click spyware. 31 00:02:55.070 --> 00:03:02.380 This operation highlights a novel vector for surveillance utilising standard digital advertising infrastructure. 32 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:09.420 Zero-click spyware installs itself on a device without requiring the user to click any links or download files. 33 00:03:09.540 --> 00:03:15.220 By using online adverts, the attackers found a way to reach targets through legitimate networks. 34 00:03:15.340 --> 00:03:20.750 The full scale of the targets affected by these ad campaigns remains unclear. 35 00:03:20.870 --> 00:03:27.070 It is also unverified whether other advertising agencies are participating in similar surveillance operations. 36 00:03:27.190 --> 00:03:32.150 Sources including Codekeeper and CyPro have reported on the implications of this discovery. 37 00:03:32.270 --> 00:03:35.960 This development demonstrates a major shift in spyware delivery. 38 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:43.080 The method moves away from traditional phishing links toward passive infection vectors embedded within digital advertising infrastructure. 39 00:03:43.200 --> 00:03:51.050 The use of legitimate online advertising networks to covertly deliver spyware raises serious questions about programmatic ad exchanges. 40 00:03:51.170 --> 00:03:58.560 Optimists point out that public exposure of this vector allows ad networks and browser developers to patch vulnerabilities swiftly. 41 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:04.230 However, sceptics argue that standard ad-blocking tools may be insufficient to protect users. 42 00:04:04.350 --> 00:04:11.320 Sophisticated zero-click exploits can be delivered merely by loading a legitimate ad slot controlled by a malicious broker. 43 00:04:11.440 --> 00:04:17.550 This raises difficult questions about how programmatic advertising networks can effectively vet ad agencies. 44 00:04:17.670 --> 00:04:25.020 It also highlights what implications ad-based spyware has for everyday internet users who rely on standard security hygiene. 45 00:04:25.140 --> 00:04:30.940 Heightened scrutiny on programmatic advertising networks could lead to tighter security audits for ad brokers. 46 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:37.600 Further analysis from security firms like Secarma and SOFX will focus on industry-wide responses. 47 00:04:37.720 --> 00:04:45.000 Regulators and ad exchanges face pressure to implement stricter verification processes for all participating agencies. 48 00:04:45.120 --> 00:04:53.410 The weaponisation of standard digital advertising for zero-click spyware shows that passive browsing habits can be targeted. 49 00:04:53.530 --> 00:04:58.350 That is all the key details we have right now on this developing cyber security story. 50 00:04:58.470 --> 00:05:01.980 It is quite something when simply loading a webpage can expose a device. 51 00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:05.540 It really changes how we have to think about basic browser safety. 52 00:05:05.660 --> 00:05:08.690 Let us hope the ad networks move quickly to close those loopholes. 53 00:05:09.390 --> 00:05:12.940 Thanks, James. Before we go, a reminder of today's main stories. 54 00:05:13.060 --> 00:05:18.520 Five people have been killed following a Houthi missile strike on the Yemeni presidential palace. 55 00:05:18.640 --> 00:05:23.230 Official figures show suicide rates have peaked among middle-aged men across England and Wales. 56 00:05:23.350 --> 00:05:29.060 You'll find all our sources, the transcript and chapters at news.notperfect.biz. 57 00:05:29.180 --> 00:05:34.080 This programme is made with AI, so please check the linked sources for anything important. 58 00:05:34.200 --> 00:05:36.230 That's all from us this afternoon. I'm Julie. 59 00:05:36.350 --> 00:05:38.940 And I'm James. Thanks for listening, and goodbye.