Kerberus Acquires Pocket Universe to Launch First-Ever Crypto Antivirus

Source: CoinTelegraph

Kerberus Cyber Security, a firm specializing in cryptocurrency protection, has acquired Refract, the team behind the popular fraud prevention tool Pocket Universe. The deal, valued in the seven-figure range, aims to develop a dedicated crypto antivirus.

What’s Next After the Acquisition?

• Integration Plans: Pocket Universe’s browser extension will merge with Kerberus’ Sentinel3 security extension.
• Expanded Coverage: Protection will extend beyond Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chains to include Solana and others.
• Crypto Antivirus Development: The new product will target malware and threats specific to crypto users.

Alex Katz, Kerberus’ co-founder and CEO, emphasized the urgency of combating crypto malware, calling this move the launch of “the first crypto antivirus” to address today’s biggest security challenges.

Team Changes and Strategic Partnerships

“User trust and safety are key to crypto’s future. Kerberus leads at the infrastructure level, and this acquisition accelerates their reach to the next million users,” Neuner said.

• Pocket Universe founders, Justin Phu and Nishan Samarasinghe, will step back but remain involved to assist Kerberus.
• Ran Neuner, Crypto Banter founder and Onchain Capital CEO, joins Kerberus as a strategic adviser and distribution partner to help scale adoption.

Background on Kerberus

• Established in 2023, originally named MintDefense.
• Provides real-time transaction monitoring and automated wallet defense for crypto and Web3 users.
• Built out of personal necessity, as CEO Katz and CTO Danor Cohen witnessed friends losing funds to scams.
• Operated with a lean team of two, maintaining zero losses for users over two years.

Why a Crypto Antivirus?

Despite Kerberus’ success in stopping scams, Katz and Cohen noticed ongoing losses from viruses and malware, often slipping past existing defenses.

• Current market lacks a true “crypto antivirus” - most tools only provide partial protection.
• Katz explains crypto antivirus means a user installs software that protects their device automatically, similar to traditional antivirus models.
• Cohen expects a minimal viable product in about four months, with some intellectual property already developed.

Industry Perspective

According to 0xWui of FailSafe security firm:

• The crypto space has no unified antivirus solution, only separate layers of defense that don’t fully overlap.
• Unlike traditional antivirus, crypto transactions are irreversible - once malware causes a signed transaction, funds are lost forever.

This acquisition marks a significant step toward improving user security in crypto, targeting the vulnerabilities traditional antivirus tools can’t address.