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AdGuard

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AdGuard
Developer(s)AdGuard Software Limited
Initial releaseJune 1st 2009
Stable release
Repository
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows, GNU Linux, OS X, iOS, Android
Platformx64/x86, arm
Available in28 languages
TypeUtility
Browser extension
Server
LicenseOpen source and shareware
Websiteadguard.com


AdGuard

AdGuard is a line of ad blocking and privacy protection software which comprises open source and shareware products that protect Microsoft Windows, Linux, OS X, Android and iOS users from unwanted ads, pop-ups, banners, as well as from tracking, obscene content, malware and phishing.

A cross-platform utility, AdGuard is also available as an extension for the most widely used browsers, e.g. Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Yandex.Browser, and Microsoft Edge.

As the company, AdGuard Software Limited was founded in 2009.[1] An international team is now being managed from the Cyprus-based headquarters.

While AdGuard products have earned positive feedback in several industry publications[2][3][4], a series of incidents with app stores occurred in 2014 - 2018, impeding user access to AdGuard's mobile applications.

Open Source Products

  1. AdGuard Home
    The product intercepts and filters DNS requests [5]. It works as a DNS server and prevents all the devices in a home network from connecting to the servers that track user browsing.
  2. AdGuard Browser extension
    The extension blocks video ads, interstitial ads, floating ads, pop-ups, banners, text ads [6]. There is a possibility to handle anti-AdBlock scripts [7]. The product also blocks spyware and warns users of malicious websites [8].
  3. AdGuard for iOS
    The default filters here are optimized for Safari. The spyware filter stops third parties from collecting private data of the user. On the other hand, users can whitelist the chosen web pages.
  4. AdGuard filters
    Ad-blocking filters used by default in all AdGuard products. They are also available in uBlock Origin.
  5. AdGuard for Safari
    The product is based on the Safari native content-blocking API to make it work faster, which, in turn, brings about several limitations.

Research

AdGuard developers have taken up non-commercial research in order to inform wider audiences on user privacy, cybersecurity and data protection. The following issues have been looked into:

Incidents

  • Distribution of AdGuard for Android was discontinued by Google Play at the end of 2014. It is still being updated and is available for download from the developers’ website.[20].
  • AdGuard for iOS has not been updated since the summer of 2018 due to Apple policies, though is still present in the Apple AppStore.[21]
  • The company itself became subject to an attempted hacker attack in September 2018, yet managed to protect the users of their products by immediately resetting all the passwords.[22][23][24]

Sources

AdGuard

  1. ^ AdGuard Company profileCrunchbase.com, 2018
  2. ^ Jerry Hildenbrand "Best Chrome extensions to protect your online privacy and security", Androidcentral.com, April 23, 2018.
  3. ^ Pedro Castro "AdGuard 6.4 Controls intrusive ads and keeps your browsing history secure", Software.informer.com, October 29, 2018.
  4. ^ Lewis Painter "Best ad blocker for iPhone and iPad", Macworld.co.uk, October 23, 2017
  5. ^ Chris Burns "AdGuard Home is an ad-and-tracker blocker for your home", SlashGear.com, October 17, 2018
  6. ^ Eric Griffith "The 18 Best Firefox Quantum Extensions", PCMag.com, February 12, 2018
  7. ^ James A.Martin "The best Google Chrome extensions", Computerworld.com, August 10, 2017
  8. ^ Chris Smith "Adguard is the newest must-have extension for Microsoft Edge users", Trustedreviews.com, February 16, 2017
  9. ^ Cal Jeffrey "AdGuard reports that 20 million Chrome users have malware infected ad blockers", Techspotl.com, April 19, 2018.
  10. ^ Harry Domanski "Google has kicked five malicious ad blockers off the Chrome Store", Techradar.com, April 19, 2018.
  11. ^ Matthew Hughes "Facebook tracking is present in 41% of the most popular Android apps", Thenextweb.com, March 23, 2018
  12. ^ Nadeem Sarwar "Is #DeleteFacebook Enough? Here’s the Harsh Truth About Facebook Tracking Through Apps", Beebom.com, March 27, 2018
  13. ^ Rei Padla "GO Keyboard apps sends users’ data to servers and third parties, AdGuard says", AndroidCommunity.com, September 23, 2017
  14. ^ Adarsh Verma "11 Million Android, iOS, Chrome, And Firefox Users Infected By Spyware: Delete These Apps Now", Fossbytes.com, July 26, 2018
  15. ^ Wagas Amir "Popular Android/iOS apps & Extensions collecting highly personal user data",Hackread.com, July 26, 2018
  16. ^ Catalin Cimpanu "Chrome Extensions, Android and iOS Apps Caught Collecting Browsing Data", BleepeingComputer.com, July 25, 2018
  17. ^ Michael Kan "Why Hackers Love Cryptocurrency Miner Coinhive",UK.PCMag, November 29, 2017
  18. ^ Anthony Cuthbertson "Over 500 Million PCs Are Secretely Mining Cryptocurrency, Researchers Reveal", Newsweek.com, October 13, 2017
  19. ^ Charlie Osborne "500 million PCs are being used for stealth cryptocurrency mining online", Zero Day, October 13, 2017
  20. ^ Daria Magdik "Google Removes Adguard App From Google Play", AdGuard News, November 25, 2014
  21. ^ Andrew Orr "AdGuard Pro is Being Discontinued due to App Store Policy", Macobserver.com, July 23, 2018
  22. ^ Zack Whittaker "AdGuard resets all user passwords after account hacks", Techсrunch.com, September 20, 2018
  23. ^ Catalin Cimpanu "AdGuard resets all user passwords after credential stuffing attack", ZeroDay, September 21, 2018
  24. ^ Tom McNamara "All AdGuard ad blocker account passwords have been reset to fight off hackers", Download.cnet.com, September 21, 2018
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