yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android Apps and Games] IronTechmonkey:
Search this thread for DNS logging which may help you identify what is sneaking through and also run the Adware scanner in Adaway to see if the reddit app is one that uses push advertising which cannot be blocked by hosts file based utilities.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
If you blocked all the undesirable hosts shown in the DNS Request log but your app still shows you ads, it's probably because it bypasses local DNS and pushes those ads directly to your device (it may even appear in AdAway's "scan for adware" test). If that's the case, nothing in the hosts file can tame that app. You may want to review the many references to similar situations discussed in this thread. I'm not familiar with that particular app, but its Play Store description refers to unspecified in-app purchases, and that often means you're stuck with ads until you pay. In many cases, it's just as easy to simply find a similar app that's less intrusive. ;)
[Android Apps and Games] pijas82:
hi need help

adaway 3.1 dont work in oficial cm13 for bacon(oneplus one)

thanks
[Android Apps and Games] artyfarty:
Boeffla is the solution
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
This is a known unfortunate limitation of current CM13 builds, preventing all apps (including AdAway) from writing to the /system partition. Until CM13 is changed/fixed, review some of the workarounds mentioned in this thread to at least allow AdAway to do its job.
[Android Apps and Games] Kneidel:
Would appreciate some help.

I'd like to add this ad list - http%3A//www.kiboke-studio.hr/i-dont-care-about-cookies/abp/

but adaway has taken a dislike to the URL.

Does it need to end .txt like the other host sources and how can I convert it so that it is compatible with the app.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
What is at "http://www.kiboke-studio.hr/i-dont-care-about-cookies/abp/" is simply

NOT

a suitable source list for inclusion in the hosts file. It has

no content

usable by AdAway or any other hosts file maintenance tool, which is not surprising since it's not designed for that purpose at all.

You may want to review what AdAway is and does so that you better understand that it has nothing to do with cookies... ;)
[Android Apps and Games] WarningHPB:
i've got an odd problem i suspect its something to do with my Nexus 6 (stock 6.0, decrypted & rooted), but i've downloaded a host file i want to apply, so i've added it to my host sources with the url since i have some urls i want to whitelist

file:///storage/emulated/0/adblocking/hosts

and then i disable the other host sources, when i got to apply it says "none of your host sources are reachable!"

when i try to open the host file i've downloaded with the android html viewer it just shows:

web page not available

the webpage at file:///storage/emulated/0/adblocking/hosts
could not be loaded because:

net::ERR_ACCESS_DENIED

however when i open "file:///storage/emulated/0/adblocking/hosts" in chrome it shows the host file any ideas?

This method works fine on my Nexus 5 (stock 6.0 & rooted) so im stumped
[Android Apps and Games] Peter770:
My tablet is infected with browser hijacking malware and when i start a browser it auto redirects to malicious websites. I used the Tcpdump tool of Adaway and it caught the url's of the sites to which this malware redirects. I added these url's to the blacklist but this doesn't seem to work because when i start the browser it still redirects to these url's.

Why Adaway doesn't block these websites?

Also, if i search for the urls in the hosts file they are not there, but Adaway is showing them in my black list. Why Adaway is not adding these url's to the hosts file?
[Android Apps and Games] mondohow:
Why not just get rid of the malware? Whatever it is has obviously bypassed AdAways functionality.
[Android Apps and Games] Pkt_Lnt:
Wipe the tablet and reinstall the OS!
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
The host sources are expected to be external URLs, not local files. If you want AdAway to include the file in question, simply enter its full URL ("http://somewhere.com/adblocking/hosts"?) and AdAway will then download and process it. If you need to whitelist some entries from that file, simply use the AdAway white list feature.

---------- Post added at 07:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:28 AM ----------

If you're positive you have some sort of "browser hijacking malware", the wisest approach would be to remove it by reinstalling either only your browser or your entire system (factory reset?). If AdAway can't bypass that malware, it simply means that the malware doesn't rely on the hosts file or local DNS resolution, which is not surprising. You don't give many details so we can't help you much, but if you search XDA you can probably find advice on how to best get rid of whatever nasty malware you apparently caught. In the Android world, it's usually fairly painless... ;)
[Android Apps and Games] Peter770:
[MENTION=5888813]mondohow[/MENTION] [MENTION=4403217]Pkt_Lnt[/MENTION] [MENTION=4343728]Mike B.[/MENTION]

I have Android 4.4.2 and my tablet is rooted. I have tried every recommended method for removing malware from android device but without any success:

Scanned with antivirus apps - Avast, Malwarebytes, AVG and few others, nothing discovered.

Cleared browser data and cache.

Entered recovery mode and wiped partition cache.

Entered safe mode and even then when i launch the browser it still redirects to the malicious sites.

Doing factory reset probably will remove the malware, but it is not a real solution for me, because i don't want to reset my factory settings every time my device catch a malware. And considering that i got this malware from google play store the possibility to get malware again in the future is very plausible.

If i have downloaded malicious script on my device in which location it may resides and what the file name of this script would look? Can i run some Tcpdump command from the android terminal that will detect from where these dns requests are made, that redirect the browser, and this way to determine where the script is located?
[Android Apps and Games] Pkt_Lnt:
I have never had any malware in many years of Android phones and many purchases from Google Play Store. I'd do the thing you have the best excuse not to do, and that is factory reset.

Who knows where it might be downloaded to? Malware, viruses, etc. are designed to be disguised or hide. You need more drastic measures or just live with it, sadly you seem most prepared to do that.
[Android Apps and Games] Peter770:
Are you saying that it is not possible to find where the malware is located?

If i do factory reset is there a bulletproof method to backup and then restore my apps and my settings?
[Android Apps and Games] Pkt_Lnt:
I'm saying it may be extremely difficult to find the malware, it may have embedded itself in something else. Sometimes it takes a malware expert to find it. If you have hours of time to invest in researching it, you may find it, but no one can just tell you where it is, since you have not told us what malware you have, or even if you know.

Titanium Backup has saved me many times with apps and app data. I'd be careful with system data, since you may just restore the malware as well, There is a chance you may restore the malware if it is attached to an app and/or app data.
[Android Apps and Games] Peter770:
I guess if the malware is still active even when tablet is in safe mode then it is embedded in the system.

I don't know what type of malware i have since none of the antivirus programs detect it. These are some of the url's it redirects the browser:

global.ymtracking.com
ym.com-24.org
ms.offer-wonder.info
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Like [MENTION=4403217]Pkt_Lnt[/MENTION], I've never had any "malware on any Android device and certainly not from anything purchased on the Play Store even though I've been using Android since the very beginning (starting with the original G1!). Note that "antivirus" apps are really not appropriate in the Android world and at best are useless.

Even though it's clearly unrelated to AdAway, let's try and dig into your issue a bit deeper. First, what are the exact symptoms?. Please give us a specific URL and tell us what exactly happens. Is it with only one specific browser (which one?) or with all browsers (download another browser for testing if you haven't done so already)? Tcpdump or anything of that nature might be pointless if your trouble doesn't lie with DNS.

Your concerns about "malware" and "antivirus" make me wonder if you didn't inadvertently cause system corruption by trying to "protect" yourself. For example, some well-meaning users end up clobbering their hosts file and creating a problem where none existed. To be on the safe side, please temporarily move /system/etc/hosts to a safe location such as your SD card, then reboot. There should be no "hosts.*" files left in /system/". Furthermore, make sure any "ad blocker" you may have installed is completely removed or at the very least fully disabled.

Realistically, the best approach would be for you to reset your system and get rid of whatever it is that's causing your issue. If somehow the problem reappears later at least you'll be best able to find out where and how you "caught" it. As a rooted user, you should have Titanium Backup so that you can eventually restore any or all apps as desired, but if you restore EVERYTHING you might restore whatever "bug" you had, so proceed cautiously.
[Android Apps and Games] Peter770:
The way i got this malware was this: I downloaded one app from google play, but i don't remember which one, and as i go through the app menu it displayed a list of suggestions for other apps to download. I clicked on one of the name in the list and it launched the browser and started redirecting through couple of websites.

After this when i launch a browser, i have Firefox, Chrome, Opera and CM Browser, without opening any url from bookmark or typing in the address bar, it automatically opens a second tab and starts redirecting to these sites, some of them i posted above. I downloaded a new browser UC Mini and when i start the browser the same thing happens.
[Android Apps and Games] Zangetsu94:
How can I unblock Spotify ads? Because I have some problems with the shuffle reproduction that is forced even on my tablet, and this is not correct.
[Android Apps and Games] fmc000:
Please tell me that this is just a joke...
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
So much for specifics, eh? ;) It shouldn’t be all that difficult to go through the list of your user apps, "guess" which one you downloaded, and uninstall it, but without any details, we can't help you much more.

We're obviously getting very far from anything AdAway-related, but in the future do yourself favor and make regular backups (both Nandroid backups from recovery and app-specific backups from Titanium Backup). That way, when something goes wrong, you can quickly and painlessly undo the damage, whether self-inflicted or otherwise.

---------- Post added at 10:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:38 AM ----------

If you are blocking some hosts that you want to access, whitelist those hosts. The AdAway DNS Request log can help you determine which hosts your app/site tries to reach. Note that if you are using more than the default source lists, disabling those additional lists may magically "unblock" the ads you want. Review the AdAway help or search this thread for additional details.
[Android Apps and Games] Peter770:
Sorry, for the off topic question, but Is there a firewall with HIPS protection for android, that works similar to comodo firewall, that ask you for permission when some process is trying to connect to internet or trying to modify system files?
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Clearly way off topic since this has absolutely nothing to do with AdAway, local DNS, or hosts file maintenance. You may have more luck asking in one of XDA's "Q&A" forums or see if my former colleagues on XDA Assist can point you in the right direction.

Best "protection" devices: your fingers! Don't download apps or click links you don't trust... ;)
[Android Apps and Games] Peter770:
I did factory reset but when i open the browser it still redirects to malware sites. What to do now?
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
After a factory reset, your device should be in the same exact state as it was when you first unpacked it. It's nearly IMPOSSIBLE for "malware" to be there at that time unless you load it, possibly as part of a misguided restore. What exactly did you do after your factory reset and before you launched the default browser?

One of the many details you haven't shared so far is whether your trouble occurs whether you use a data connection or through WiFi, and whether you have any kind of active proxy (including in your APN). What exact URL pops up when you open your browser?
[Android Apps and Games] Peter770:
The first time i did the factory reset from the Android OS which was not the correct way: settings>backup&reset>factory data reset.

Then i did factory reset from the recovery mode and now it seems the malware is gone.
[Android Apps and Games] DaveX2012:
Do you guys have a problem with YouTube search history? Mine don't save my search history. I did white listed *s.youtube.com
[Android Apps and Games] EatYerFace:
My favorite adblocker. I've been using it for years. Highly recommended.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
We already discussed your apparent trouble with YouTube's history at length in this thread (HERE, for example). Since it doesn't seem to have anything to do with AdAway, there is no need to keep asking the same question in this AdAway thread and you may wish to contact YouTube support instead.
[Android Apps and Games] _jis_:
That is not true in this case, because Peter770 has rooted device as he stated:

You cannot know what was possibly modified by that malware in his system, so only solution is complete wipe and clean flash.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Rooted or not, a proper full/factory/master/hard reset from recovery (wipe/format system/data/cache)

will

get rid of anything the user may have "caught" or inadvertently installed. Initially, the user had apparently only cleared his data, hardly a proper reset. In this particular case, there is simply not enough information to even know if there was actual "malware", but a factory reset guarantees a clean slate unless the hardware itself has been compromised. In the future, by far the wisest approach would be to perform regular full (nandroid) backups and easily restore from a known "good" backup when necessary. Clearly none of that has anything to do with AdAway and would be best discussed somewhere else... ;)
[Android Apps and Games] _jis_:
Now you are saying the same as me:

But in your previous post you omit to define FACTORY RESET. Problem is that the common used term FACTORY (DATA) RESET from "Android Settings / Backup & Reset" doesn't wipe/format system... That was my point :)
[Android Apps and Games] IronTechmonkey:
"Factory reset" was recommended and was the correct recommendation. "Factory data reset" was the action first taken and did not fix. The issue of failing to distinguish between the 2 was not in the terminology used in the suggestion to "factory reset", but in the knowledge possessed by the poster of the issue that they are different things.
[Android Apps and Games] iamelton:
i got 2 devices, a Nexus 5 and a OnePlus X, set up with adaway v3.1..

both are rooted and /etc/hosts files have been updated by adaway successfully..

both files have 644 permissions..

both devices are rebooted..

now my problem is that while ads in apps have been blocked successfully in Nexus 5, the same apps still display ads in OnePlus X..

i even tried to compared hashes of the 2 copies of /etc/hosts, and verified that they were the same in hash values and thus content..

do roms matter in this case? Nexus 5 is running stock lollipop 5.1.1, and OnePlus X is running stock OxygenOS (based on lollipop 5.1.1)..

so what could prevent the copy in OnePlus X to function?

thx..
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Could it be that you have a forgotten APN proxy on the OnePlus? Doesn't OxygenOS include some sort of "ad blocker" by default? If so, it should be uninstalled (or at least completely disabled), and any additional "/system/etc/hosts.*" files deleted to insure proper local DNS function.
[Android Apps and Games] iamelton:
exactly!

did some more testing and found out its ok when on wifi, and only got issue on mobile data.. so i did a side-by-side comparison of the APN settings of N5 and OPX.. and turned out theres indeed a proxy setting in OPX which was not set in N5.. upon clearing the proxy resumed the hosts file functionality..

neverthesless thx a lot for your msg & hint.. :)
[Android Apps and Games] riowong:
May I ask if a country specific of Easylist can be simply added to Hosts sources in AdAway?
[Android Apps and Games] usmann_090:
Great app
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
You can use any hosts sources that you wish to AdAway as long as they are in the correct format. The four "defaults" lists are merely suggestions and you can use them all, only some of them, or none of them. It is usually recommended to use as few source lists as necessary, and more is seldom better.

If by "Easylist", you mean the Adblock Plus filters list, note that it is

NOT

a proper hosts list (

it's filters, not hosts!

) suitable for inclusion in a hosts file, with or without AdAway.

See the

AdAway Wiki

for additional details.
[Android Apps and Games] jfeldredge:
I can confirm that I see this error when I click on a link in Facebook and other applications, and have Firefox set as the default browser, about 50% of the time. Telling Firefox to retry loads the page successfully. The Adaway app also blocks SeeClickFix from working, 100% of the time. Telling Adaway to revert to the default hosts file, then rebooting my phone, restores both Firefox and SeeClickFix to full operation. Turning on DNS request logging before launching SeeClickFix doesn't show any requests, so I suspect SeeClickFix is trying to connect to a hard-coded IP address, and failing, rather than making a DNS lookup.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Thanks for the report, but once again I must remind users that AdAway itself doesn't block anything; only the hosts files you select do that!

A hard-coded IP address doesn't go through the hosts file. If you can't otherwise isolate the host or hosts responsible for your trouble, try activating only one source file at a time, or even none at all, then scrutinize the new DNS Request log for potential culprits. In many instances, though, such scripts are served by common CDN with innocent-looking names and spotting the "bad guy" may require a lot of work.

That said, as previously stated, the "ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED" error is extremely unlikely to have anything to do with AdAway or even the hosts file and is most likely to be an issue with your communications settings or your ROM. The only time I've encountered it was when a ROM/app (such as an "optimizer") was improperly switching between WiFi and mobile or between 2G/3G/4G (timing issues, or failing to set the right flags, etc.).
[Android Apps and Games] eak1080:
Hangs on applying on GS4 CM 10.2

More accurately it hangs on applying for a while then hangs and FC's on applying blacklist and whitelist

CM 10.2

---------- Post added at 09:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:16 AM ----------

Can someone post their hostfile which they pulled out of system/ect/hosts for others to manually push.
[Android Apps and Games] egandt:
Sometime, I've had it work. Only 1 if 4 or 5 times, now trying 2.5 to see if that helps. Since F-Droid only has 2.3 posted.

ERIC
[Android Apps and Games] Slem.Prod:
useful app
[Android Apps and Games] mabmed:
Same here!! Help please!!
[Android Apps and Games] razers:
It's the same for me :( (GS4 + Cm 10.2)
[Android Apps and Games] xda163fm:
Does anyone know if the fdroid version will be updated?
[Android Apps and Games] Pajaroide:
Just what I was looking for! Thank you OP =)
[Android Apps and Games] stayRooted:
Love this app. Thanks for the hard work!
[Android Apps and Games] SuperiorTek:
Can't get the ad blocking to stick. Do have to run this every time I disable and renable my phone's internet?
[Android Apps and Games] 12packabs:
Nope. You do need to reboot after applying it though.
[Android Apps and Games] WastedJoker:
Any reason why choosing the "Yes" to reboot doesn't actually reboot my phone?
[Android Apps and Games] zwirc:
good!

Good work, keep it up!

Downloading ;)
[Android Apps and Games] mabmed:
New version of adfree works good!

Via Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 Lte 16Gb Black Mist!!
[Android Apps and Games] scarmon25:
I personally like the adaway app better. It seems to work better. I know they both utilize the host file but ads seem to get through on adfree and not on adaway
[Android Apps and Games] bariz143:
Still doesn't work on cm10.2 :(
[Android Apps and Games] Eshi:
Works very well, thanks!
[Android Apps and Games] SuperiorTek:
Didn't work for me either.I'm going to try this on the PAC-man rom.
[Android Apps and Games] BOY_:
OP, on 4.3 roms adaway just stops working. When it works, it works great but something seems to be killing it. I don't know if running a permanent notification would be a quick band aid or what but, suffice it to say, it does not work properly on 4.3.
[Android Apps and Games] DJxSpeedy:
does adaway uses busybox ? when yes all 4.3 user have an not right installed one... i have galaxy nexus 4.3 newest update to Y Build...no problems

send via Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Tapatalk 4
[Android Apps and Games] Krowbarr:
I'm running this on my Nexus 7 with 4.3 and no issues at all.

We were born in a time where if something was broken we would fix it and not just throw it away
[Android Apps and Games] jfeldredge:
I have narrowed it down further. With AdAway's web server running, I get an error message from SeeClickFix advising me to check my WiFi credentials. With AdAway's web server not running, SeeClickFix gives me a different error message, "network not available". So, this tells me that an HTTP request is being diverted by the hosts file. However, if I whitelist all of the DNS names logged by tcpdump, I still get the same results. Either tcpdump is not logging all DNS requests, or AdAway is not listing all of the server names reported by tcpdump. Does AdAway use its own tcpdump app, or one bundled with Android?
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
First, do you have any trouble using your data connection or is it only with WiFi? What happens if you keep the default (empty) hosts file but keep the webserver active (i.e. nothing is blocked)? AdAway has an internal tcpdump, but feel free to use a separate standalone tcpdump application for testing if you prefer. On WiFi, your router may even have the ability to log all traffic, which would be the best way to find out what exactly is requested. (and received).

Unfortunately, the errors you mention don't tell us much since we don't know what your app is attempting to do. To clarify, the webserver simply sends a "I'm here" reply to any request that's redirected to 127.0.0.1. If the app expects some specific contents, it may well trigger one of the errors you mention. It's also possible that the app is smart/devious/paranoid enough to check for the mere presence of a local webserver... or it could even force misleading error reports (yes, some sneaky apps do that)... ;)

UPDATE:

I tried to test that "SeeClickFix" app (version 4.2.0.4075 found on the Play Store), but it refused to run on a spare phone that had no AdAway at all. Apparently, it

requires

a WiFi connection, among other things (GPS, even if only a mock location, as well as some odd requests). On a phone that has WiFi enabled, an empty hosts file ("disable ad blocking"), and only the AdAway webserver enabled, it lets me pick a location and even enter a "report". Frankly it seems to have rather unusual and somewhat puzzling requirements that seem

unrelated to AdAway

or DNS resolution in general. Have you considered asking whoever supports that app for advice?