SquareX, led by serial cybersecurity entrepreneur Vivek Ramachandran, is developing a browser-based cybersecurity product to keep consumers safe online. The company announced that it has raised USD 6 million in a seed round led by Sequoia Capital Southeast Asia. It will use the funds raised on R&D-engineering and go-to-market.
In today’s Cloud-SaaS era, the landscape has shifted significantly as professionals primarily use web browsers for all their online activities – checking mail, creating documents, uploading/downloading files, streaming content, banking, and e-commerce. With the browser becoming the new “operating system,” attackers are targeting them, introducing an entirely new range of threats such as phishing, identity theft, session hijacking and other browser-based attacks.
Unfortunately, the existing generation of cybersecurity products are ill-equipped to combat these threats, as they were designed at a time when the primary threats were file viruses, worms, and network attacks. These products also often hinder productivity by blocking access to files and resources that may not actually be malicious, leading users to disable or uninstall them, and leaving them more vulnerable to attacks. Coupled with widespread and involuntary personal data collection, an average internet user simply does not feel safe online.
SquareX is addressing this problem by engineering a cybersecurity product from the ground-up, purpose-built to tackle the current generation of threats. It integrates with the browser as an extension and monitors and protects users while they go about their online activities. SquareX does this by leveraging its cloud service and enables users to open links and files in disposable browsers so that users are protected against any kind of potential threats. These cloud-powered temporary container sandboxes are headless browsers running in data centers on behalf of the user so that all web threats get neutralized and never reach the user’s computer. SquareX also enables users to keep their identity safe and private.
“We are driven by our vision to create a digital world where users can embrace the full potential of the internet, unburdened by the ever-growing threats that lurk beneath the surface. We want to enable users to envision a digital landscape where users can confidently engage with the internet without the fear of threats and attacks or having their personal information exposed. By creating a seamless, browser-integrated cybersecurity solution, we are empowering consumers to be fearless online and take control of their own security on the internet. We believe that a safer internet experience is not only possible but essential, and SquareX is dedicated to making it a reality for everyone.” Vivek Ramachandran, Founder, SquareX
Vivek is a veteran in the cybersecurity industry with over 20 years of experience in building security products and finding vulnerabilities in security systems. His entrepreneurial experience spans over a decade where he has built wireless monitoring solutions, pentesting gadgets and cloud-powered lab environments. Prior to SquareX, he founded Pentester Academy, a cloud-based cybersecurity training startup which was successfully acquired. Vivek also discovered the infamous Caffe Latte Attack in 2008, and has authored multiple books and research papers on offensive cybersecurity techniques.
By providing an unparalleled web browsing user experience without compromising security, SquareX aims to become the new gold standard in consumer cybersecurity products, making the internet a safer place for everyone. SquareX welcomed its first set of users in early March this year.
“I would highly recommend SquareX to anyone who prioritizes security, privacy, and ease of use. The platform has transformed my internet browsing experience and has become an essential part of my daily workflow.” Ben Poh, initial user of SquareX
The online world is about to get a whole lot worse as the AI revolution gets channeled towards building malicious code. Every cyber security solution out there is only probabilistically successful in protecting internet users, which is not of much comfort if they get hacked and lose money. SquareX is the first solution we’ve seen that takes a 100% protection approach – where irrespective of how new and sophisticated the attack is, it has no chance to infect users. This is the future we think all internet users deserve.” Anandamoy Rowchowdhary, Partner Surge, Sequoia Southeast Asia.
SquareX will be launching a beta version of their solution for a limited set of users beginning in May this year. Users can join the waitlist here: www.sqrx.com.
