An Interview With The Creator Of Web3 Antivirus, Alex Dulub

The launch of Web3 Antivirus in December was warmly received by the web3 community as a tool to protect users against risky smart contracts and phishing schemes. We spoke with Alex Dulub, the founder of W3A, and asked him to provide more information on this intriguing idea.

Alex, could you introduce yourself?

Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Alex, and I founded Web3 Antivirus, as you already indicated. In addition to being a major fan of web3, I have always been attracted by cutting-edge technology like blockchain and AI.

I finally founded my software development and consulting business, PixelPlex, as a result of this enthusiasm. We are celebrating our 15th anniversary this year, and I believe that the introduction of Web3 Antivirus is a wonderful way to mark this occasion.

How did the concept for Web3 Antivirus occur to you?

Well, my team and I observed a lot of fraud that had negative effects while working on auditing and developing smart contracts. It’s terrible how fraudsters can cause millions of dollars to disappear in a few of clicks.

A security solution that could identify web3-specific threats including harmful smart contracts, fraudulent transactions, and phishing was obviously needed immediately. Additionally, it would have been helpful to know exactly what smart contract you are signing without having to conduct much research. I then reasoned, why not create such a tool myself?

Web3 Antivirus was built on the important knowledge of how many web3 scams operate and how to spot them that I acquired while working on blockchain-based projects for years.

How does W3A operate?

W3A is a browser addon that acts as a kind of shield between a user and any threats in the web3 area. When a user approves a transaction, the solution pauses it, analyzes it, and then delivers a risk assessment report in two seconds that details what may go wrong.

Additionally, W3A has the ability to do call stack backtracking, enabling it to review all smart contracts connected to the transaction rather than just the one you are now working with.

Customers get the transaction’s risk rating along with a list of all identified threats as a result. Users may decide whether to approve or refuse a transaction with complete knowledge of what is in store for them.

Additionally, the system detects suspicious URLs by comparing domain names with a large database using AI similarity comparison. W3A instantly stops users if they are going to a phishing or unreliable website.

The extension never requests access to wallets, assets, or a seed phrase and doesn’t need to be set up.

How do you see the future?

We are currently striving to increase the number of supported blockchains and wallets, with BNB and Solana shortly to follow. Also coming soon is a brand-new feature called W3A Dashboard for the extension. Imagine it as an account that keeps track of all the risks you’ve encountered as well as a thorough report of all the transactions and allocated token privileges.

Additionally, we are constantly improving our auditing procedures. Users will soon have access to all transaction simulation phases as well as the risks related to each one, in addition to the risk assessment report.

Additionally, we’re using sophisticated NFT analysis, which incorporates historical data and a machine learning-enhanced layer capable of identifying financial fraud, wallet risk score, IP infringements, honeypots, and other issues.

Who could use Web3 Antivirus?

Whether you want to use web3 for business transactions or merely to browse websites, W3A is for everyone who wants to use it. Additionally, the solution can evaluate web3 applications like non-fungible token (NFT) collections and DeFi protocols. The projects will receive a “safety label,” and we will enhance our data layer, making this a win-win situation.

With members able to contribute to W3A development with their research and contract validation and get benefits, we want to become a community-driven project. As a result, the extension’s databases will be enriched more quickly, and it will be able to detect fraud more precisely.

Users of Web3 expect the solutions they utilize to be trustworthy. How will you make sure people can believe in W3A?

Web3 Antivirus will never request access to users’ wallets or assets, or their seed phrases. Additionally, because the solution is open-source, users may fork our code from GitHub and verify that there are no secret processes running.

What differentiates W3A from its competitors?

The most significant distinction is that Web3 Antivirus does in-depth risk analysis, notifying customers of the amount of transaction risk as a whole and the specific threats that have been identified. Meanwhile, our rivals do not do such a thorough examination.

W3A’s advanced infrastructure, which incorporates sophisticated technological solutions like the indexing and structuring of data taken straight from the Ethereum network, enables it to attain this high degree of detail.

Another benefit is that W3A has a group of knowledgeable smart contract developers and auditors who regularly look into web3 frauds and update the solution.

What is the most distinctive danger that W3A finds?

Let’s say it is the capability of a smart contract to change and adapt based on the quantity of tokens a user holds. For instance, a smart contract may prohibit transfers of a certain token, which is often quite valuable, and establish a cap on its trading. As a result, what at first glance appears to be a very successful agreement ends up being a loss.

Can you discuss releasing Web3 Antivirus on Product Hunt?

Yes, it was a wonderful experience! W3A was one of the day’s top 10 solutions. We observed a lot of real interest in our product and received a lot of support. I think making the announcement of Web3 Antivirus there encouraged many who were hesitant to participate in web3 collaboration and helped us increase awareness among the web3 community.