• Adguard Chromecast
• Adguard Chrome Android

1. A cross-platform utility, AdGuard is also available as an extension for the most widely used browsers, Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Yandex Browser, and Microsoft Edge.
2. AdGuard VPN for Chrome ensures full identity protection by the traffic to a VPN server. Furthermore, it can block WebRTC, which allows visited websites to detect your IP address, and it can change.

AdGuard Assistant’s primary function is to manage filtering directly from the browser. It has existed for quite a long time, and its form and content have changed. More precisely, it used to be a mere userscript incorporated into AdGuard for Windows app and became a full-fledged browser extension. Now it definitely yields more benefits.

Adguard for Chrome is a helpful browser enhancer that manages to ease your browsing experience by blocking unwanted advertisements and protecting you from being tracked. An extensive service with. AdGuard VPN for Chrome For early access to all the latest changes and newest features of AdGuard VPN for Chrome, install the beta extension. To do so, click the button below and then in the opened window click the 'Add to Chrome' button. AdGuard ad blocker effectively blocks all types of ads on all web pages, even on Facebook, YouTube and others! ## What AdGuard ad blocker does: ★ Blocks all ads: video ads (includes YouTube adblock), rich media advertising, unwanted pop-ups, banners and text ads (includes Facebook adblock); ★ Speeds up page loading and saves bandwidth, thanks to the missing ads and pop-up windows.

Benefits

Independence

AdGuard Browser Assistant is a browser extension, it is installed in a browser, so there is no need to wait for the userscript to be injected into the filtered web page, as it was with the preceding one. In other words, it is more autonomous from the main AdGuard app. Still, Browser Assistant needs the installed AdGuard for Windows, because there is no point in using the extension without the app.

Compatibility with the main app

If you got into the habit of using our previous AdGuard ad blocker extension in Integration mode, you may like the solution that we have developed for the new Browser Assistant.

Background information:

In previous versions of the AdGuard Browser Extension (before v3.5), if you had it installed along with the AdGuard for Windows app, the extension took over the functions of Assistant, stopped filtering itself and relied on the app to do this.

The extension and the app worked in conjunction but sometimes the integration would fail. Some websites would stop being protected by the desktop program and be backed up only by the less powerful extension.

When using the Browser Assistant, all these problems don’t matter as there can be no conflicts in essence. The role of the Browser Assistant is well-defined and it can’t hinder the functioning of the main app, so there is no need to worry.

Smart onboarding

When AdGuard for Windows is installed for the first time, the thing a user encounters in the first place is the onboarding. During this process the user quickly learns about AdGuard's settings and can customize filtering to their liking. At one stage AdGuard will determine the user's default browser and provide them with a download link for the new Assistant.

On rare occasions, the default browser may prove incompatible with the Browser Assistant, and the user will be offered to install the legacy version instead.

Separate tab in settings

The new Browser Assistant has its own tab in AdGuard for Windows settings, together with Stealth Mode, Browsing Security, Parental Control and others. Don’t worry if you missed the opportunity to install Browser Assistant during the onboarding, you'll find this option in the app's settings. Besides, there is a checkbox to enable the legacy Assistant.

Legacy Assistant

Legacy Assistant is the previous version of Assistant, which is a mere userscript, not a browser extension. Basically, there are two cases when you might want to pick it instead of the new Browser Assistant: 1) the new Assistant is not available for your browser; 2) you are used to the green shield icon and want to leave things as they were. If you recognize yourself in any of these scenarios, then the legacy version will suit you.

How to install AdGuard Browser Assistant

Technically, you won’t need to do it on your own: during the onboarding process AdGuard app will determine your default browser and offer to install Browser Assistant for it. Yet, if you missed that step, you can download it yourself.

If you want to install the Browser Assistant for your default browser, you can do it directly from the app settings, but you also have an opportunity to install it for other browsers.

AdGuard Browser Assistant is available for all popular browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, and Yandex. To install the one you need (or many, it is not prohibited but even encouraged), go to our website, click the browser icon and tap the Download button. That’s it!

AdGuard Software Limited develops a line of ad blocking and privacy protection software for blocking pop-ups, banners, and web tracking, obscene content, malware and phishing. Some of AdGuard products are open-source, some are free, and some are shareware. Some products support Microsoft Windows, Linux, OS X, Android and iOS. A cross-platformutility, AdGuard is also available as an extension for the most widely used browsers, Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Yandex Browser, and Microsoft Edge.^[1]

Products[edit]

AdGuard products include:

AdGuard Home[edit]

AdGuard Home acts as a recursive DNS resolver, which responds with an invalid address for domains that appear in its filter lists quests.^[2] It is analogous to Pi-hole.

AdGuard Browser extensions[edit]

The browser extension blocks video ads, interstitial ads, floating ads, pop-ups, banners, and text ads.^[3] There is a possibility to handle anti-AdBlock scripts.^[4] 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[edit]

AdGuard has Windows; Android and Mac versions,^[5] as well as native mobile versions for Android^[6] and iOS.^[7] The application sets up a local VPN, which intercepts and filters all traffic on the mobile device without sending it to a remote server.

AdGuard DNS[edit]

AdGuard hosts multiple free public DNS servers. Some of these servers provide DNS-level network filtering for blocking domains used for delivering advertisement, online tracking, analytics. The product supports encryption technologies, including DNSCrypt, DNS over HTTPS, DNS over TLS and DNS-over-QUIC.^[8] AdGuard DNS also comes with an optional 'Family Protection' mode for blocking access to websites with adult content as well as enforcing safe search in search engines.^[9]

AdGuard began testing DNS service back in 2016, and officially launched it in 2018.^[10]

Reception[edit]

While the company's products have earned positive feedback in several industry publications,^[11] a series of policies by Google and Apple app stores occurred in 2014 - 2018, which impeded user access to AdGuard's mobile applications.

Macworld mentioned AdGuard for iOS in a list of five 'best adblockers for iOS'.^[12]

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.^[13]

Research[edit]

AdGuard developers have taken up non-commercial research in order to inform wider audiences on user privacy, cybersecurity and data protection. The following issues are notable cases involving the developers:

• Top-ranked websites involved in cryptojacking^[14][15][16]
• FacebookAd Network widespread distribution^[17][18]
• Fake adblockers^[19][20]
• Popular Android and iOSappprivacy issues^{[21][22][23][24]}

Incidents[edit]

• Distribution of AdGuard for Android was discontinued by Google Play at the end of 2014. It nevertheless is still being updated and has been made available for download from the developers’ own website.^[25]
• AdGuard for iOS has not been updated since the summer of 2018 due to Apple policies against ad blocking, though it was still present in the Apple App Store.^[26][27][28] In summer 2019, access to the updates of AdGuard's earlier edition for iOS was restored.^[29]
• 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 a more strict password security requirements.^[30][31][32]

In November 2020, Microsoft Edge Store was infiltrated with fraudulent add-ons resembling add-ons for AdGuard VPN and few security products.^[33]

References[edit]

Adguard Chromecast

1. ^Andrew Orr 'AdGuard Pro is Being Discontinued due to App Store Policy', MacObserver.com, July 23, 2018
2. ^Chris Burns 'AdGuard Home is an ad-and-tracker blocker for your home', SlashGear.com, October 17, 2018
3. ^Eric Griffith 'The 18 Best Firefox Quantum Extensions', PC Magazine, February 12, 2018
4. ^James A. Martin 'The best Google Chrome extensions', Computerworld, August 10, 2017
5. ^Hougen, Aleksander. 'The 8 Best Ad Blockers That Play Nice With Chrome, Safari, Firefox in 2020'. Cloudwards. Cloudwards.net. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
6. ^Painter, Lewis. 'Best ad blocker for iPhone & iPad'. MacWorld. IDG Communications Ltd. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
7. ^Hindy, Joe. '5 best ad blocker apps for Android!'. Android Authority. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
8. ^Vasily Bagirov (December 15, 2020). 'AdGuard becomes the world's first public DNS-over-QUIC resolver!'. AdGuard. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020.
9. ^'A look at AdGuard DNS - gHacks Tech News'. www.ghacks.net. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
10. ^'AdGuard officially releases its own DNS service, and it works with Android Pie'. Android Police. December 29, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
11. ^Pedro Castro 'AdGuard 6.4 Controls intrusive ads and keeps your browsing history secure', Software.informer.com, October 29, 2018.
12. ^Painter, Lewis. 'The 5 best ad-blocking apps for iPhone & iPad'. Macworld UK. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
13. ^'The best Chrome extensions to protect your online privacy and security'. Android Central. April 30, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
14. ^Michael Kan 'Why Hackers Love Cryptocurrency Miner Coinhive', UK.PCMag, November 29, 2017
15. ^Anthony Cuthbertson 'Over 500 Million PCs Are Secretely Mining Cryptocurrency, Researchers Reveal', Newsweek, October 13, 2017
16. ^Charlie Osborne '500 million PCs are being used for stealth cryptocurrency mining online', Zero Day, October 13, 2017
17. ^Matthew Hughes 'Facebook tracking is present in 41% of the most popular Android apps', Thenextweb.com, March 23, 2018
18. ^Nadeem Sarwar 'Is #DeleteFacebook Enough? Here’s the Harsh Truth About Facebook Tracking Through Apps', Beebom.com, March 27, 2018
19. ^Cal Jeffrey 'AdGuard reports that 20 million Chrome users have malware infected ad blockers'Archived June 24, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Techspotl.com, April 19, 2018.
20. ^Harry Domanski 'Google has kicked five malicious ad blockers off the Chrome Store', Techradar.com, April 19, 2018.
21. ^Rei Padla 'GO Keyboard apps sends users’ data to servers and third parties, AdGuard says', AndroidCommunity.com, September 23, 2017
22. ^Adarsh Verma '11 Million Android, iOS, Chrome, And Firefox Users Infected By Spyware: Delete These Apps Now', Fossbytes.com, July 26, 2018
23. ^Wagas Amir 'Popular Android/iOS apps & Extensions collecting highly personal user data', Hackread.com, July 26, 2018
24. ^Catalin Cimpanu 'Chrome Extensions, Android and iOS Apps Caught Collecting Browsing Data'Archived August 19, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, BleepeingComputer.com, July 25, 2018
25. ^Daria Magdik 'Google Removes Adguard App From Google Play', AdGuard News, November 25, 2014
26. ^Andrew Orr 'AdGuard Pro is Being Discontinued due to App Store Policy', Macobserver.com, July 23, 2018
27. ^Andrew Orr 'Apple Won’t Say Why It Blocked AdGuard and Freedom', Macobserver.com, September 20, 2018
28. ^Abhishek Raj 'How to block ads on iPhone and iPad with AdGuard', Budding Geek, June 5, 2019
29. ^[1]
30. ^Zack Whittaker 'AdGuard resets all user passwords after account hacks', Techсrunch.com, September 20, 2018
31. ^Catalin Cimpanu 'AdGuard resets all user passwords after credential stuffing attack', ZeroDay, September 21, 2018
32. ^Tom McNamara 'All AdGuard ad blocker account passwords have been reset to fight off hackers', CNET, September 21, 2018
33. ^Dan Goodin 'Abusive add-ons aren’t just a Chrome and Firefox problem. Now it’s Edge’s turn', ArsTechnica, November 21, 2020

Adguard Chrome Android