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LinkGuard 0.1.0 (pre-release)

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@vijay-subramanic vijay-subramanic released this 16 Oct 11:34
v0.1.0
a7feed7
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Learn about vigilant mode.

First public pre-release of LinkGuard: it sits between the links you tap in WhatsApp, Telegram or SMS and your browser, and warns about scam links. It never blocks; "Open anyway" is always there.

Install

  1. Download linkguard-0.1.0-foss.apk below and open it (allow "Install unknown apps").
  2. Open LinkGuard → Set as default browser → pick the browser to open links in.

Android 8+. Telegram users: turn off Telegram's in-app browser so LinkGuard can see links.

What it checks

  • Fake bank and brand sites (SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis, PNB, PhonePe, Paytm, Google Pay, India Post, Delhivery, Blue Dart, IRCTC, Income Tax, UIDAI, EPFO, NPCI, Airtel, Jio), including look-alike letters, digit swaps and typos
  • App (APK) downloads from outside the Play Store
  • UPI payment requests hidden behind web links, with payee and amount shown
  • Raw IP addresses, user@host tricks, very deep subdomains and throwaway domains
  • Brand-new websites (less than 30 days old)
  • Short links (bit.ly and others) are followed first so the real destination is checked

Warnings are shown in English, Hindi or Tamil, following the phone's language.

Privacy

LinkGuard never logs, stores or sends the links you open. No accounts, analytics or trackers. It only goes online to ask a link shortener where a short link leads, and to ask a domain registry when a website was registered (sending only the domain name). Policy: https://dwarpallabs.com/linkguard/privacy

Known limitations (why this is a pre-release)

  • Hindi and Tamil text is machine-drafted and awaiting native-speaker review
  • The scam blocklist is empty until the feeds pipeline lands; the allowlist is hand-curated (~200 sites)
  • Links opened inside Telegram's in-app browser, or by apps that open Chrome directly, never reach LinkGuard
  • Short links on slow networks can take up to ~1.5 s ("Checking link…")

Help wanted

  • Scam link samples from India (WhatsApp, SMS, Telegram): Settings → Report a link, or open an issue
  • Hindi and Tamil reviewers for the app's text

Verify the download

  • SHA-256 of the APK: e694affb1c3870d67f72f2848f44b20840ecade01e865968a967ef04ae67d4cc (also in linkguard-0.1.0-foss.apk.sha256)
  • Signing certificate (Dwarpal Labs) SHA-256: 3b7a7bc8b029e60667a269c9298067f64922f79ec6e8e1ebbf69569795405cee

apksigner verify --print-certs linkguard-0.1.0-foss.apk

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