AdGuard Conflict with VPN: IVPN, Mullvad, OVPN

[TESTER-sec]

Please answer the following questions for yourself before submitting an issue

• Filters were updated before reproducing an issue
• I checked the knowledge base and found no answer
• I checked to make sure that this issue has not already been filed

AdGuard version

7.19.0 (4853) (CL 1.16.44, DL 2.5.41)

Browser version

Microsoft Edge

OS version

Windows 11 Pro Version 23H2 OS build 22631.4460 Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22700.1047.0

Traffic filtering

• yes, I do

Ad Blocking

AdGuard Base filter

Privacy

AdGuard Tracking Protection filter, AdGuard URL Tracking filter

Social

AdGuard Social Media filter

Annoyances

AdGuard Annoyances filter, AdGuard Cookie Notices filter, AdGuard Popups filter, AdGuard Mobile App Banners filter, AdGuard Other Annoyances filter, AdGuard Widgets filter

Security

No response

Other

No response

Language-specific

No response

Which DNS server do you use?

Cloudflare DNS

DNS protocol

Regular

Custom DNS

No response

What Stealth Mode options do you have enabled?

No response

Support ticket ID

No response

Issue Details

Steps to reproduce:

1. Install Windows 11 23H2
2. Install AdGuard and enabled DNS Protection with ANY configuration
3. Install VPN: IVPN or Mullvad or OVPN (which all use their own DNS and DNS filtering)
4. Immediately problems begin accessing MSN, Bing search, Hotmail, Outlook, OneDrive, etc via the Microsoft Edge Brower or Windows Apps such as Weather

This issue can reproduced at-will every single time.

Expected Behavior

AdGuard will not conflict with VPN and cause issues accessing vital Microsoft web resources.

Actual Behavior

AdGuard creates a conflict with VPN and essentially blocks access to vital Microsoft web resources.

This issue began immediately after the last Windows 11 23H2 update in November, 2024.

Screenshots

No response

Additional Information

This has been reported to the VPN (IVPN, Mullvad, OVPN) and, of course, everyone is pointing fingers at each other. "Not our problem. Uninstall AdGuard."

[KolbasovAnton]

@TESTER-sec Hello!
In order to troubleshoot this issue, we need to get your application logs.

Here's what we need you to do:

1. Collect the debug log as it's explained here.
2. Remember the exact time when the issue was reproduced.
3. Send the archive to [email protected]:
   - include [windows] keyword and ISSUE_NUMBER in the subject of your email
   - specify the exact time when the issue occurred

[KolbasovAnton]

@TESTER-sec Also, a couple of questions:

• The problem still reproduce with the latest nightly version of AdGuard?
• Will the problem reproduce if You completely switch off AG (Exit AdGuard from the tray menu)?
• Will the problem reproduce if You set default settings in AG (General settings -> Reset settings to default)?

[TESTER-sec]

@TESTER-sec Hello! In order to troubleshoot this issue, we need to get your application logs.

Here's what we need you to do:

1. Collect the debug log as it's explained here.
2. Remember the exact time when the issue was reproduced.
3. Send the archive to [email protected]:
   • include [windows] keyword and ISSUE_NUMBER in the subject of your email
   • specify the exact time when the issue occurred

My systems are production. The problems created by AdGuard were seriously impacting productivity so I had to uninstall it from all the systems.

NOTE: I included AdGuard in the un-filtered Mullvad configuration (split-tunneling) and excluded Mullvad from being filtered by AdGuard, but this did not fix the problem.

[TESTER-sec]

@TESTER-sec Also, a couple of questions:

• The problem still reproduce with the latest nightly version of AdGuard?
• Will the problem reproduce if You completely switch off AG (Exit AdGuard from the tray menu)?
• Will the problem reproduce if You set default settings in AG (General settings -> Reset settings to default)?

My systems are production. Unfortunately, that means either an application works or it does not. If a program is causing serious issues that impact productivity, then the operational policy is to uninstall the offending program.

Opening trouble tickets and exerting internal efforts to troubleshoot with support is not possible as we are far too busy.

1. Completely switching OFF AdGuard did not fix the problem.
2. Disabling the AdGuard service did not fix the problem.
3. The only thing that fixed the reported issues is a complete uninstall and post-uninstall clean-up (and clearing the system DNS Cache).

A. Resetting AdGuard configuration to 100% Defaults did not fix the issue.
See 3 above for the fix.

I spent days trying to resolve the issue with IVPN, Mullvad, and oVPN support - thinking it was a VPN problem. Turns out it was not. The offending program is AdGuard.

Uninstalled AdGuard and access to vital Microsoft resources was restored.

[KolbasovAnton]

@TESTER-sec It's almost impossible to examine the problems without logs - You can still try to pull them out from "C:\ProgramData\Adguard" folder, if uninstallation wasn't complete. This is a hidden folder.

[TESTER-sec]

@TESTER-sec It's almost impossible to examine the problems without logs - You can still try to pull them out from "C:\ProgramData\Adguard" folder, if uninstallation wasn't complete. This is a hidden folder.

No logs. AdGuard clean-up was very thorough.

I attempted to report for weeks to AdGuard support and never received a single response. I was reporting the issue at least 3 times per week for at least 4 weeks from 4 separate production systems. Again, not a single response from AdGuard support. So at this point I am willing to do no more on this issue. AdGuard can hire me as a QA\QC engineer and then I will do the testing that AdGuard itself should be doing.

As I reported:

This means AdGuard staff can purchase IVPN, Mullvad or oVPN and then set up virtual machines for testing. Much more efficient and effective as AdGuard developers will have direct access to the test systems. That way they can debug.

This is not difficult. It just takes a willingness to do it.

[TESTER-sec]

@KolbasovAnton

This issue is reproducible at-will every single time!

Time of issue in Debug Logs: 8:28 to 8:29 AM.

Since you have been responsive and nice, I reinstalled AdGuard and a VPN (Mullvad) to reproduce the issue.

I collected Debug logs and sent them to AdGuard QA.

1. Install Mullvad VPN and AdGuard
2. Enable DNS filters in Mullvad VPN
3. Use ANY other VPN tunnel configuration; the VPN configuration does NOT matter
4. Enable split tunneling in Mullvad
5. Exclude both AdGuard.exe and AdGuard Service from filtering by Mullvad VPN

6. Exclude Mullvad.exe and daemon-mullvad.exe in AdGuard

7. Launch Microsoft Edge
8. Attempt to navigate to MSN or perform ANY web search
9. Internet is broken by AdGuard
10. Disable AdGuard
11. Problem is fixed; internet access is restored

[KolbasovAnton]

@TESTER-sec Thank You, and one more question - since our AdGuard VPN also fits the description "use their own DNS and DNS filtering", can You install it's latest nightly version and run the AG blocker with it too? If your bug will reproduce even with our own VPN, this will greatly clarify the situation.