AdGuard is an

ad blocking Ad blocking (or ad filtering) is a software capability for blocking or altering online advertising in a History of the web browser, web browser, an Application software, application or a network. This may be done using browser extensions or othe ...

service for

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

MacOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

, Android and

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

. AdGuard is also available as a

browser extension A browser extension is a software module for customizing a web browser. Browsers typically allow users to install a variety of extensions, including user interface modifications, cookie management, ad blocking, and the custom scripting and st ...

Features

AdGuard Home

AdGuard Home acts as a recursive DNS resolver, which prevents most advertisements from displaying by responding with an invalid address for domains that appear in its filter lists.

AdGuard Browser extensions

The browser extension blocks video ads, interstitial ads, floating ads, pop-ups, banners, and text ads. It is also able to handle anti- AdBlock scripts. AdGuard blocks spyware and warns users of malicious websites. AdGuard Content Blocker is an additional browser extension for Yandex Browser and Samsung Internet, which uses Content Blocker API. It downloads filter list updates and requests browsers to enforce them via Content Blocker API.

AdGuard applications

AdGuard has Windows and Mac versions, as well as native mobile versions for Android and iOS. The application can set up a local VPN, filtering all traffic on the mobile device.

AdGuard DNS

AdGuard operates recursive name servers for public use. AdGuard DNS supports encryption technologies, including DNSCrypt, DNS over HTTPS, DNS over TLS, and DNS over QUIC. AdGuard began testing DNS service back in 2016, and officially launched it in 2018.

History

During late 2014, the distribution of AdGuard's app for Android was removed from

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...

. It has since been made available for download from the developers’ own website. From the summer of 2018 to the summer of 2019, AdGuard for

received no updates due to

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

policies at the time against ad blocking via the iOS VPN

API An application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how to build ...

s. In September 2018, AdGuard was hit by

credential stuffing Credential stuffing is a type of cyberattack in which the attacker collects stolen account credentials, typically consisting of lists of usernames or email addresses and the corresponding passwords (often from a data breach), and then uses the cr ...

attack. AdGuard claims that their servers were not compromised and instead attackers used credential pairs reused by victims on other sites and stolen from those other sites. According to company spokesperson, they "do not know what accounts exactly were accessed by the attackers", so the company had reset passwords for all accounts "as a precautionary measure". Also, AdGuard pledged to use " Have I Been Pwned?" API to check all new passwords for appearance in known public data leaks. Furthermore, they implemented more strict password security requirements. In November 2020, Microsoft Edge Store and Chrome web store were infiltrated with fraudulent add-ons posing as various legitimate VPN browser add-ons, including

NordVPN NordVPN is a Lithuanian VPN service founded in 2012. NordVPN is developed by Nord Security (formerly Nordsec Ltd), a cybersecurity software company that was initially supported by Tesonet, a Lithuanian startup accelerator and business incubat ...

and AdGuard's VPN add-on. Subsequently, Microsoft and Google were alerted and actions were taken to remove the fake add-ons in the various browser stores.

Research

AdGuard developers have taken up research in order to inform wider audiences on user

privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

cybersecurity Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thr ...

and

data protection Data protection may refer to: * Information privacy, also known as data privacy * Data security {{Authority control ...

. The following issues are cases involving the developers: *

Website A website (also written as a web site) is any web page whose content is identified by a common domain name and is published on at least one web server. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, educatio ...

s involved in crypto jacking *

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

Ad Network Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of interest to consumers. It is typically use ...

widespread distribution * Alerting or reporting of fake ad blockers * Popular Android and

app

issuesCatalin Cimpan
"Chrome Extensions, Android and iOS Apps Caught Collecting Browsing Data"
, BleepeingComputer.com, July 25, 2018

References

{{reflist Ad blocking software Android (operating system) software Google Chrome extensions IOS software Privacy software 2009 software Free and open-source software Shareware Free Firefox WebExtensions Alternative Internet DNS services