AdGuard

AdGuard is a Cyprus-based software company whose products focus on blocking online advertising, limiting tracking, and improving user privacy and browsing security. The company was founded as a private business in Moscow, Russia, in 2009 and later moved its headquarters to Cyprus. Its current product family spans browser extensions, desktop applications, mobile applications, public DNS services, network-level filtering software, and a VPN service. AdGuard's central proposition is to give users control over unwanted content and data collection across multiple layers of internet access. Its browser extensions can filter common forms of web advertising, including banners, pop-ups, floating advertisements, interstitials, video advertisements, and text advertisements. They also use filter lists to block many trackers and spyware-related domains, and can warn users about malicious websites. Some browser products are designed to work within browser content-blocking interfaces, including versions associated with Yandex Browser and Samsung Internet. The company's desktop and mobile applications extend filtering beyond an individual browser. Versions are available for Windows and macOS, while native mobile applications are available for Android and iOS. On mobile devices, the software can establish a local VPN-style filtering connection so that traffic from multiple applications can be processed rather than only traffic from a browser. Android distribution has not always followed the standard Google Play route: the Android application was removed from Google Play in late 2014 and has subsequently been distributed through AdGuard's own website. AdGuard also operates services at the DNS and network layers. AdGuard DNS provides public recursive name servers that can respond with invalid addresses for domains identified by filtering lists, preventing many advertising and tracking requests from resolving. The service supports encrypted DNS protocols including DNSCrypt, DNS over HTTPS, DNS over TLS, and DNS over QUIC. AdGuard began testing its DNS service in 2016 and formally launched it in 2018. AdGuard Home applies similar principles in a self-hosted or network-deployed form, allowing filtering for devices connected to a home or other local network. The company has also offered a VPN browser add-on and a broader VPN service. In 2020, fraudulent browser-store add-ons impersonating several legitimate VPN products, including an AdGuard-branded VPN add-on, were identified and reported to Microsoft and Google. The stores subsequently took action against the counterfeit extensions. AdGuard has published or supported research and public-information work concerning privacy, cybersecurity, data protection, cryptojacking, advertising networks, fraudulent ad blockers, and privacy problems in mobile applications. Publicly available information does not establish the company's revenue, ownership structure, user count, market share, or complete executive roster. Accordingly, those details are left unspecified.

AdGuard began in 2009 as a private company founded in Moscow, Russia, with a focus on software for blocking online advertising. As online advertising became increasingly connected with tracking technologies, malicious domains, and intrusive web formats, the company broadened its stated scope from basic ad removal toward privacy protection, anti-tracking, and web-security assistance. The business later relocated its headquarters to Limassol, Cyprus. The brand developed products for several technical environments rather than limiting itself to a single browser. Browser extensions became an important distribution format, using filter lists to identify advertising, tracking, and potentially harmful requests. The extensions support the filtering of banners, pop-ups, floating advertisements, interstitials, video advertisements, and text advertisements, and may also address anti-ad-blocking scripts. AdGuard additionally developed content-blocking products compatible with browser APIs used by platforms such as Yandex Browser and Samsung Internet. The company expanded into operating-system-level applications for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. These applications can filter traffic outside a single browser; on mobile devices, they can use a local VPN-style configuration to process traffic from applications across the device. The Android product faced a distribution change in late 2014 when it was removed from Google Play and became available through AdGuard's own distribution channel. On iOS, product development was constrained for a period by Apple's policies concerning ad blocking through VPN APIs, resulting in an extended interval without updates between approximately summer 2018 and summer 2019. AdGuard also moved into DNS-based filtering. The company tested its DNS service from 2016 and officially launched it in 2018. AdGuard DNS operates public recursive name servers and uses filtering lists to prevent many advertising and tracking domains from resolving normally. It supports multiple encrypted DNS protocols, including DNSCrypt, DNS over HTTPS, DNS over TLS, and DNS over QUIC. AdGuard Home applies related DNS-filtering principles in a network-level product intended for deployment on a home or other local network, allowing filtering for multiple connected devices. The product portfolio later included VPN offerings, including a browser add-on and a broader VPN service. In November 2020, fraudulent extensions imitating a number of VPN brands, including AdGuard's VPN add-on, were found in major browser extension stores. The incident concerned impersonation by third-party developers rather than a reported compromise of AdGuard's own infrastructure, and the relevant store operators were notified. AdGuard has also publicized research and analysis relating to privacy, cybersecurity, data protection, cryptojacking, advertising networks, fake ad blockers, and privacy issues in mobile applications. A September 2018 credential-stuffing incident led the company to reset account passwords and strengthen password practices. Public sources provide limited information about the company's founders, detailed corporate governance, ownership, financial performance, and executive leadership, so these areas remain unspecified.

1. 2020Fake AdGuard VPN add-on identified

   A fraudulent browser extension impersonating AdGuard VPN was identified in browser extension stores and reported to the relevant platform operators.

   Source
2. 2018AdGuard DNS launched

   The company officially launched AdGuard DNS as a public DNS filtering service.

   Source
3. 2018Credential-stuffing incident disclosed

   AdGuard reported an account-access incident involving reused credentials and responded with password resets and stronger password controls.

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4. 2016AdGuard DNS testing began

   AdGuard began testing its DNS-based filtering service.

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5. 2014Android distribution moved outside Google Play

   AdGuard's Android application was removed from Google Play and was subsequently distributed from the company's own website.

   Source
6. 2009AdGuard founded

   AdGuard was established as a private company in Moscow, Russia, initially focusing on ad-blocking software.

   Source

Cross-platform advertising, tracker, and privacy protection for individual devices, browsers, and local networks.

• AdGuard Ad BlockerAd-blocking and privacy software

  AdGuard's principal filtering product for reducing advertisements, trackers, spyware-related requests, and certain unwanted or malicious web content. It is offered through applications for desktop and mobile operating systems and is intended to provide protection beyond a single browser session. Mobile versions can use a local VPN-style configuration to filter traffic from multiple applications on the device.

• AdGuard Browser ExtensionBrowser extension

  A browser-based content-filtering extension that blocks common advertising formats such as banners, pop-ups, floating ads, interstitials, video ads, and text ads. It also filters many trackers, can address some anti-ad-blocking scripts, and may warn users about malicious websites. Related content-blocking versions use browser content-blocking APIs on supported platforms.

• AdGuard DNSDNS filtering service2018

  A public recursive DNS service that uses filtering lists to block many advertising, tracking, and related domain requests. It supports encrypted DNS through DNSCrypt, DNS over HTTPS, DNS over TLS, and DNS over QUIC, allowing users to apply filtering at the DNS layer rather than only within a browser.

• AdGuard HomeNetwork-level DNS filtering

  A network-level filtering product based on DNS resolution. AdGuard Home can act as a recursive DNS resolver and respond with invalid addresses for domains appearing on configured filter lists, helping block advertising and tracking requests for devices connected to a local network.

• AdGuard VPNVPN and privacy service

  A privacy-oriented VPN offering associated with the AdGuard product family. The brand has provided a VPN browser add-on and related VPN functionality; a fraudulent extension impersonating this offering was among the counterfeit add-ons reported in browser stores in 2020.

• 2018Launch of AdGuard DNSProduct launch

  AdGuard had tested DNS-based filtering since 2016 and sought to extend filtering beyond individual browsers and applications.

  What changed. The company officially launched a public DNS filtering service supporting encrypted DNS protocols.

  Aftermath. DNS became an additional layer in AdGuard's cross-platform filtering portfolio.

  Source
• 2018Account-security response after credential stuffingOther

  Attackers attempted to use credentials reused from other websites to access AdGuard accounts.

  What changed. AdGuard reset account passwords, strengthened password requirements, and planned to check new passwords against known leaked-password databases.

  Aftermath. The incident prompted additional account-security controls, although public information does not establish the number of affected accounts.

  Source
• 2014Distribute the Android application outside Google PlayStrategy

  The Android application was removed from Google Play in late 2014.

  What changed. AdGuard made the application available for download through its own website.

  Aftermath. The company continued using direct distribution for the Android product.

  Source

• 2020Fraudulent extensions impersonating AdGuard VPNControversy

  In November 2020, fraudulent browser extensions presenting themselves as legitimate VPN add-ons, including an AdGuard-branded VPN extension, appeared in the Microsoft Edge and Chrome extension stores. The incident involved third-party impersonation. Microsoft and Google were alerted and took action against the fake extensions.

  Source
• 2018Credential-stuffing attackControversy

  In September 2018, AdGuard reported that attackers had attempted to access accounts using credential pairs apparently reused from other services. The company stated that its own servers had not been compromised, but said it could not determine exactly which accounts had been accessed. It reset account passwords as a precaution, introduced stricter password requirements, and pledged to compare new passwords with credentials appearing in known public data leaks.

  Source

• 2018AdGuard DNS formally launched

  After testing that began in 2016, AdGuard formally launched its public DNS filtering service.

  Product launch
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• 2018AdGuard for iOS experienced an extended update pause

  AdGuard for iOS received no updates from approximately summer 2018 to summer 2019, amid Apple policy limitations affecting ad blocking through iOS VPN APIs.

  Other
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• 2014AdGuard Android application removed from Google Play

  Distribution of AdGuard's Android application was removed from Google Play. The application was subsequently made available through AdGuard's own website.

  Other
  Source

1. AdGuard
2. AdGuard official website