Developed by AdGuard Software Limited, AdGuard offers

open-source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...

, free, and

shareware Shareware is a type of proprietary software that is initially shared by the owner for trial use at little or no cost. Often the software has limited functionality or incomplete documentation until the user sends payment to the software developer ...

products. AdGuard's DNS app supports Microsoft Windows,

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which i ...

macOS macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. Within the market of ...

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

and iOS. AdGuard is also available as a

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

. AdGuard Software Limited was founded in 2009 in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. In 2014 AdGuard Software Limited's products became available in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

to where its headquarters were subsequently moved.

Features

AdGuard features include:

AdGuard Home

AdGuard Home acts as a recursive DNS resolver, which responds with an invalid address for domains that appear in its filter lists quests. It is similar to Pi-hole.

AdGuard Browser extensions

The browser extension blocks video ads, interstitial ads, floating ads, pop-ups, banners, and text ads. There is a possibility to handle anti- AdBlock scripts. The product also blocks spyware and warns users of malicious websites. AdGuard Content Blocker is an additional browser extension for browsers Yandex Browser and Samsung Internet, which uses Content Blocker API. It downloads filter list updates and asks 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 sets up a local VPN, which filters all traffic on the mobile device.

AdGuard DNS

AdGuard operates recursive name servers for public use. AdGuard DNS supports encryption technologies, including

DNSCrypt DNSCrypt is a network protocol that authenticates and encrypts Domain Name System (DNS) traffic between the user's computer and recursive name servers. It was originally designed by Frank Denis and Yecheng Fu. Although multiple free and open ...

DNS over HTTPS DNS over HTTPS (DoH) is a protocol for performing remote Domain Name System (DNS) resolution via the HTTPS protocol. A goal of the method is to increase user privacy and security by preventing eavesdropping and manipulation of DNS data by man-in ...

, DNS over TLS, and DNS-over-QUIC. AdGuard began testing DNS service back in 2016, and officially launched it in 2018.

Reception

While the company's products have earned positive feedback in industry publications, a series of policies by Google and Apple

app store An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the co ...

s occurred in 2014 - 2018, which impeded user access to AdGuard's mobile

applications Application may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks ** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...

Macworld ''Macworld'' is a website dedicated to products and software of Apple Inc., published by Foundry, a subsidiary of IDG Inc. It started life as a print magazine in 1984 and had the largest audited circulation (both total and newsstand) of Macin ...

mentioned AdGuard for iOS in a list of five "best adblockers for iOS". In April 2020, Android Central stated that AdGuard uses "a little more processing power to do its thing than uBlock Origin", but it is "the best all-in-one blocking tool for someone who doesn't want to use more than one extension" because it blocks cryptomining. However, Android Central recommended uBlock Origin with a dedicated cryptomining blocker over AdGuard.

Incidents

* Distribution of AdGuard's app for

was discontinued by

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android (operating sys ...

at the end of 2014. It nevertheless is still being updated and has been made available for download from the developers’ own website. * AdGuard for iOS received no updates from the summer of 2018 until summer 2019 due to

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ances ...

policies at the time against ad blocking via the iOS VPN APIs. * In September 2018, AdGuard was hit by credential stuffing 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 and AdGuard's VPN add-on. Subsequently Microsoft and Google were alerted and actions were taken to remove the imposter 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, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, th ...

and

data protection Information privacy is the relationship between the collection and dissemination of data, technology, the public expectation of privacy, contextual information norms, and the legal and political issues surrounding them. It is also known as da ...

. The following issues are notable cases involving the developers: * Top-ranked

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wikip ...

s involved in

cryptojacking Cryptojacking is the act of hijacking a computer to mine cryptocurrencies against the users will, through websites, or while the user is unaware. One notable piece of software used for cryptojacking was Coinhive, which was used in over two-thirds ...

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

Ad Network An online advertising network or ad network is a company that connects advertisers to websites that want to host advertisements. The key function of an ad network is an aggregation of ad supply from publishers and matching it with advertiser's d ...

widespread distribution * Alerting or reporting of fake adblockers * Popular

and iOS

app App, Apps or APP may refer to: Computing * Application software * Mobile app, software designed to run on smartphones and other mobile devices * Web application or web app, software designed to run inside a web browser * Adjusted Peak Performan ...

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