ADGUARD and WOT

Gass

Member
If Adguard could also log these sites for us and offer a feature for us to add this info. - so as something like rickz said in post #1 on https://forum.adguard.com/index.php?threads/adguard-malware-blocking-options.14787/#post-106872
"Close malware website automatically if detected"
But really never open or warn if an entry was added, and would be done once we instruct Adguard to do so with the log info. and this feature if added to AG. Maybe with a wildcard for the whole domain as well to never open in our browsers would also be a nice additional feature / and then to if AG reported this to itself (server) of any new info. that was added in this section by a user to update itself for all of Adguard users with this option ticked to on.

The option to tick it on or off as a user preference but where, if WOT is an extension - could it also have a Filter option in the AD BLOCKER - Filter Subscription section and then receive future updates. Could the two even relate and act together in unison being in separate realms of AG sections/departments?

I've often searched for something I know nothing about and have almost clicked on every link of the first few pages of the search results.
So yes I have seen this in action and know AG is at work here in malicious restrictions, it just on some sites AG acts differently than on other sites, as some I never see anything but the AG warning and on some I see the warning and yet the site will still open on it's own without me saying/doing anything for AG to allow this action. I take it this is the WOT extension at work in AG - which receives updates as other parts of AG does.

Mine says last update 49 days ago - is this meant for the extension version or of the filtering rules? 49 days seems like a long time for filtering rules to wait to be updated. I see on WOT main site this mentioned ""Block History - Filter can show you when and why a web page was blocked"" so it's like a log we could use in my first part I've give mention of there.


Gass :D
 

vasily_bagirov

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Hello @Gass!

Web of Trust (or WOT) is a an integrated extension that has a standalone version as well. We do not develop it or have any influence over its ratings. We simply cooperate with WOT by including their extension into Adguard for Windows.

It is also important to understand that, unlike browser security, which black list we try to keep as impartial as possible, WOT ratings emerge as a sum of users' opinions. Sometimes it does reflect the real state of things, and sometimes not. I advise you to treat WOT ratings with a grain of salt, mostly relying on personal impression and experience and only following it in borderline cases.
 

Gass

Member
Hello @Gass!

Web of Trust (or WOT) is a an integrated extension that has a standalone version as well. We do not develop it or have any influence over its ratings. We simply cooperate with WOT by including their extension into Adguard for Windows.

It is also important to understand that, unlike browser security, which black list we try to keep as impartial as possible, WOT ratings emerge as a sum of users' opinions. Sometimes it does reflect the real state of things, and sometimes not. I advise you to treat WOT ratings with a grain of salt, mostly relying on personal impression and experience and only following it in borderline cases.
Greetings Vasily,
I understood some this already as the user submitted content to WOT and as you explained things even more now.
So the Block History - Filter must be only offered in the mentioned "standalone version" which I care not to install for a lack of Adguard influence over the integrated extension of WOT. Why also duplicate it again on my system just to gain one additional feature.

With your mention of browser security black list and my mention of AG acts differently on some sites, is definitely what must be happening between WOT and Browser Security - I'm sorry for not paying more attention to these warnings to offer more here other than acts differently. Am I mistaken in thinking WOT gives us no warnings in Adguard then, and what warnings we do see are of this mentioned Browser Security?

Thanks
Gass :)
 

vasily_bagirov

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
@Gass not quite like that. Adguard's Browsing security module acts before WoT, so if you try to reach a website from Adguard's blacklist, you will see the warning screen (with an option to still advance to the website). If you do, you will see the Web of Trust warning then (provided, of course, the website has negative or at least contradictory rating there).

Sometimes there are websites that do not qualify for Adguard blacklistm but still have mixed or negative ratings in WoT. In this case you will also be able to see a warning. Also, when a website has mixed/bad WoT rating, Adguard Assistant will become yellow/red color.
 

Gass

Member
@Gass not quite like that. Adguard's Browsing security module acts before WoT, so if you try to reach a website from Adguard's blacklist, you will see the warning screen (with an option to still advance to the website). If you do, you will see the Web of Trust warning then (provided, of course, the website has negative or at least contradictory rating there).
Just out of being curious as you've described the above - does WOT extension slow down Adguard or our browsers in anyway, I mean in anyway .0010 of a second even?
Thanks,
Gass :)
 

vasily_bagirov

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
@Gass I suppose it does slow down a very little bit as Adguard has to check website's reputation against the database, but for a very negligible amount.
 

Gass

Member
@Gass I suppose it does slow down a very little bit as Adguard has to check website's reputation against the database, but for a very negligible amount.
Not where I was coming from Vasily - more of and directly concerned with WOT's slowing down of Adguard.
We simply cooperate with WOT by including their extension into Adguard for Windows.
If I should need any more merit to disable WOT then your statement-
WOT ratings emerge as a sum of users' opinions. Sometimes it does reflect the real state of things, and sometimes not. I advise you to treat WOT ratings with a grain of salt, mostly relying on personal impression and experience and only following it in borderline cases.
So if WOT has any slowing down of Adguard - it's being disabled in my extensions list is possible, I guess I should try both ways, just wanted someone with Adguard's experience to clarify this a little better for me.

I can't say I seen this action as you've described-
Also, when a website has mixed/bad WoT rating, Adguard Assistant will become yellow/red color.
I guess the warnings screens have distracted me or maybe not even happening on my end, a report - logs would be helpful here to see of any Adguard Assistant warnings of if AG Assistant has had something to say...

Greetings and Thanks with Regards,
Gass
 

vasily_bagirov

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
I guess the warnings screens have distracted me or maybe not even happening on my end
We use not the most straightforward criteria to determine whether we should color Assistant icon yellow/red or not. It is not out of the realm of possibility that WoT marks a website as contradictory and Adguard Assistant icon is still green, for example.

I am not sure if I am expected to comment on any of the other statements in your last post, please let me know explicitely if I am :)
 

Gass

Member
I am not sure if I am expected to comment on any of the other statements in your last post, please let me know explicitely if I am :)
Never expected but, out of curiously "it's being disabled in my extensions list is possible" to what effect would this yield?
I mean if I did disable it - would I see a little more speed? Would there be any negative as to AG actions? etc...

And would W_O_T still call home??? see later post #12 of info. about this and results of being able to find out users information...

Thanks, Gass :)
 
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Gass

Member
Thanks so much for offering content here my friend :)
That's interesting yigido to know, I just posted something in off-topic about FCC and ISP here in US but, as the article I point to says it has no effect on
the sweeping rules don’t apply to the more avaricious online ad titans – including Google, Facebook, and other web companies. These are not subject to the new decrees, because the FCC does not have jurisdiction over web companies. This is a pity, as these are considered by many to be the most annoying ad abusers of consumers.
https://www.bestvpn.com/fcc-drops-the-hammer-on-isps/

I would hate to think of life without Adguard and then the things your link mentions - but - again it refers to browser addons so AG installed I think no, but, is it a difference of installed medium or browser addon extension with AG or free versa paid I'm to think?. I hope not as I trust AG either paid or free and count on it to much as being useful to me as I paid my money for the protection they offer - I hope to not have to protect from the protector in this case...

You might look at the write up of "Digital Privacy - Have You Considered Yours" post # 3 there,

Your browsing history is easily accessible (via your DNS cache) upon incognito window being closed.
On close of your Browser - is there no easily accessible record of your browsing history left on your computer. Are you sure? What about via your DNS cache?
As well, any browser addon you've added has access to your entire browsing and search history and while many may protect you from some trackers, they often collect and sell your data to others - so your browser addons may be reducing your privacy and in some ways your systems security rather than enhancing it.
Many free apps and services come with a hidden cost: user data is sold to advertisers, if you don’t have to buy the commodity, then in all likelihood you are then their commodity as a free user.
 
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Gass

Member
We use not the most straightforward criteria to determine whether we should color Assistant icon yellow/red or not. It is not out of the realm of possibility that WoT marks a website as contradictory and Adguard Assistant icon is still green, for example.
@vasily
Panorama reports that Web of Trust logs collected information such as time and date, location, web address and user ID. The information are sold to third-parties who may sell the data again to interested companies.
Some, like Web of Trust, provide users with a service that requires access to every site visited in the browser. The extension is designed to offer security and privacy guidance for sites visited in the browser.
WOT notes on its website that it hands over data to third-parties but only in anonymized form. The team of reporters managed to identify several user accounts however which suggests that the anonymization does not work as intended. see post #10 for link of this findings...

Vasily looks like this is unsafe from my point of view... Noting vigido's link given above.
If we disable it's extension in Adguard will it still be able to call home?
Gass :D
 
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yigido

Translator
Instead of WOT (Web of Trust)..Adguard should use better APIs for malware & phishing site blocking.
If you asked me, I prefer
Netcraft for Phishing websites blocking and
For malware sites why didn't we enable malware filter lists by default alongside Adguard's own database?
 

Gass

Member
Instead of WOT (Web of Trust)..Adguard should use better APIs for malware & phishing site blocking.
If you asked me, I prefer
Netcraft for Phishing websites blocking and
For malware sites why didn't we enable malware filter lists by default alongside Adguard's own database?
That would be an option for Adguard but, you could find some offerings in Internet security suits or just the stand alone anti-malware options - I run along with Adguard KIS and Emsisoft anti-malware were Emsisoft has warned me when KIS or AG hadn't given any clue to trouble. I would like to see WOT gone from Adguard totally in next AG stable release...
 

yigido

Translator
That would be an option for Adguard but, you could find some offerings in Internet security suits or just the stand alone anti-malware options - I run along with Adguard KIS and Emsisoft anti-malware were Emsisoft has warned me when KIS or AG hadn't given any clue to trouble. I would like to see WOT gone from Adguard totally in next AG stable release...
Antivirus or Antimalware preferences are depend on users :) I don't want to see WOT in Adguard in future releases. I hope they will remove it.
 

ag_bug_finder

Beta Tester
Antivirus or Antimalware preferences are depend on users :) I don't want to see WOT in Adguard in future releases. I hope they will remove it.
I wouldn't mind if WOT was removed also.
I've never used it anyways....not interested in that kind of stuff....
 

Gass

Member
Antivirus or Antimalware preferences are depend on users :) I don't want to see WOT in Adguard in future releases. I hope they will remove it.
Yes - "Antivirus or Antimalware preferences are depend on users", but you have to admit if a user chooses a good one and enables such features within it, it's not only protecting you from infections but can surpass what WOT offers and then even what Adguard presently is offering to block and warn the user of malicious sites :D.
Gass
 

Gass

Member
I wouldn't mind if WOT was removed also.
I've never used it anyways....not interested in that kind of stuff....
Same here on what it offers in return for what it mines from our surfing habits...
Then being a user submitted opinions based concept there is plenty room for error or bias.

I don't know if a users info. is shared with AG or maybe vice versa, being hashed info. is not fool proof as
the article above pointed out, also is some monetary value being exchanged here?.
Which totally destroys my concept of what I understood Adguard to stand for and offer us.
I still would like to know if it's (WOT) can call home if it's disabled in Adguard????
EDIT:
Will I see Adguard is listening to it's users and the news by offering this statement-

Today's news are very disappointing for us, the original Web of Trust extension was removed from addons.mozilla.org and next week we will decide what shall we do with our Web of Trust extension in Adguard.
Link: https://blog.adguard.com/en/official-statement-on-web-of-trust-case/

CREDIT TO @yigido for his original link of the article pointing to the research and it's findings of WOT. :)
Gass :D
 
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Gass

Member
@yigido it's a good link and sounds like your experienced with some troubles you maybe have had before?
https://forum.adguard.com/index.php?threads/how-to-remove-adware-and-malware.13529/

To prevent a good option is Shadow Defender which through out the year is in Giveaways sometimes. :D
http://www.shadowdefender.com/

More things to do ;)

Ensure your OS is always up to date. The same applies to browsers and all software you use.
Don't install/keep software that you don't need. Use virtual machines to test new/cool things found on the Internet.
Do regular malware and virus scans.
Consider using separate browsers for separate online identities.

Please also consider in the disabling of Flash, Java, WebRTC - and don't use Adobe Reader (use alternatives for PDFs like for one Foxit Reader but there others just as good).
Those things together are to blame for tens of millions of malware infections and exploitations.
@No anti-virus or "security suite" will protect the user completely against new/0-day vulnerabilities affecting the mentioned software.
@Quite often, an anti-virus provides a false sense of security and it's better to eliminate the root cause by disabling vulnerable software for good.

Thank you,
Gass
 
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