Bypassing iOS Restrictions for Advanced Ad Blocking

Deploying a Local Ad-Blocking Proxy Server on Jailbroken iOS

Prerequisites:

Configuration Steps:

1. Install and Configure TinyProxy:

   Edit TinyProxy config via SSH (default path: /etc/tinyproxy/tinyproxy.conf)
               sudo nano /etc/tinyproxy/tinyproxy.conf
   
               

   Modify the following directives:
   • Port 8888 – Set a non-conflicting port (avoid 80/443).
     Allow 0.0.0.0/0 – Permit all local traffic (adjust for security).
     Filter "/etc/tinyproxy/filter.txt" – Path to ad-blocking rules (e.g., EasyList).
     LogLevel Info – Enable debugging logs.
   • Create a Filter File:

     Example filter.txt (block ads via regex or domain lists)
                         ^https?://(ads|track|doubleclick)\.
     
                         ^https?://\w+\.googlesyndication\.com/
     
                         

     Save the file at `/etc/tinyproxy/filter.txt` and set permissions:

     sudo chmod 644 /etc/tinyproxy/filter.txt

   • Restart TinyProxy:

     sudo killall tinyproxy && tinyproxy

2. Route iOS Traffic Through the Proxy:
   Use iProxy or manually configure Wi-Fi settings:
   • Manual Wi-Fi Proxy Setup:
     1. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi > [Network Name] > Configure Proxy > Manual.
     2. Set HTTP Proxy to `127.0.0.1` and Port to `8888`.
     3. Enable Secure Proxy (HTTPS) if needed (requires PAC file or MITM setup).
   • Automatic Proxy via PAC File:
     Create a proxy.pac file with:

                         function FindProxyForURL(url, host) {
     
                             if (shExpMatch(host, "*.google.com") ||
     
                                 shExpMatch(host, "*.adservice.google.com")) {
     
                                 return "DIRECT";
     
                             }
     
                             return "PROXY 127.0.0.1:8888";
     
                         }
     
                         

     Host the PAC file on a local server (e.g., Python HTTP server) and point iOS to it via Wi-Fi proxy settings.
3. Firewall Rules (Optional):
   Use pf (Packet Filter) to enforce proxy-only traffic:

   Edit /etc/pf.conf
               block out log proto tcp from any to any port {80, 443} rdr-to 127.0.0.1 port 8888
   
               pass out log proto tcp from any to any port 8888
   
               

   Load the rules:

   sudo pfctl -f /etc/pf.conf && sudo pfctl -e

SSH Tunneling for Remote Ad-Blocking Server

Prerequisites:

Configuration Steps:

1. Set Up Remote Proxy Server:
   Install Privoxy on the remote machine (Ubuntu/Debian example):

               sudo apt install privoxy
   
               sudo nano /etc/privoxy/config
   
               

   Add to `config`:

               listen-address  127.0.0.1:8118
   
               toggle          1
   
               forward-socks5 / 127.0.0.1:9050 .
   
               filterfile      /etc/privoxy/actions
   
               

   Download EasyList and EasyPrivacy to `/etc/privoxy/`:

               wget https://easylist.to/easylist/easylist.txt -O /etc/privoxy/easylist.txt
   
               wget https://easylist.to/easylist/easyprivacy.txt -O /etc/privoxy/easyprivacy.txt
   
               

   Edit `/etc/privoxy/actions` to include:

               { +block{ads} }
   
               { +block{tracking} }
   
               

   Restart Privoxy:

   sudo systemctl restart privoxy

2. Configure SSH Tunnel on iOS:
   Use OpenSSH to create a local port forward:

               ssh -D 1080 user@remote-server-ip -N -f
   
               

   Flags:
   
3. `-D 1080`: Dynamic SOCKS proxy on local port 1080.
4. `-N`: No remote command execution (tunnel only).
5. `-f`: Fork to background.

Alternative: Forward Privoxy directly
            ssh -L 8118:localhost:8118 user@remote-server-ip -N -f

            

6. Route iOS Traffic Through SSH Tunnel:
   • Using SOCKS Proxy:
     Configure iOS Wi-Fi proxy to SOCKS5 with `127.0.0.1:1080`.
   • Using Privoxy Directly:
     Point iOS HTTP/HTTPS proxy to `127.0.0.1:8118`.
7. Firewall Rules (Remote Server):
   Restrict SSH access to your IP:

               sudo ufw allow from YOUR_IP to any port 22
   
               sudo ufw deny 22
   
               

   Enable fail2ban to prevent brute-force attacks.