Is severadao.ai legit or a scam?
SeveraDAO Security is a cybersecurity consultancy run by a high-profile former hacker, offering penetration testing and audits with a background in offensive cybercrime.
These checks passed — but they don't clear the site. A clean antivirus result, valid SSL, and a calm server only mean it isn't hosting malware; they say nothing about whether the business is real. This verdict is based on the site's conduct and content, not a malware detection.
Analysis Summary
Warning signs detected
Several risk indicators suggest caution. This site might be legitimate — but treat it as unverified until you can independently confirm.
Website Preview
Automated page render — captured in a safe sandbox. What an ordinary visitor would see when loading the site.
MT Intelligence
The site is the official front for SeveraDAO Security LLC, a business providing penetration testing and smart contract audits. Our research confirms the founder is Peter Levashov, a notorious figure who pleaded guilty to major federal cybercrime charges including operating the Kelihos botnet. While he has pivoted to legitimate security research and is active on bug bounty platforms, his history of wire fraud and computer damage is a major risk factor. The business is transparent about its legal structure in Florida, but the lack of third-party client testimonials for these specific services makes it difficult to verify current performance. We have adjusted the trust score to reflect the high-risk nature of granting a former threat actor access to private business systems.
Web Research Findings
Our live research agent queries scam-report databases, consumer-review sites, news coverage, and general web search for severadao.ai, then cross-checks business-registration records and look-alike domain patterns. Everything below is pulled from what it actually found.
- Domain severadao.ai is the official website of SeveraDAO Security, offering penetration testing (from $1500), API security reviews (from $1200), external exposure assessments (from $900), and smart contract audits (from $2500), operated by
- Founder is Peter Levashov (aka Severa, peter@severadao.ai), who openly references his past on the site via links to Wikipedia and TIME article; site emphasizes attacker's perspective from experience with Russian-speaking threat actors.
- Peter Levashov has a significant criminal history: operated Kelihos botnet, described by Spamhaus as one of the longest-operating criminal spammers; arrested 2017 in Spain, extradited to US, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, computer damage, co
- Levashov is active as a smart contract security researcher on Immunefi (1 BBP report, $1000 earned) and acknowledged in Synology's bug bounty program; maintains LinkedIn, GitHub, Instagram, Telegram (@peter_severa), and promotes services th
- No client testimonials, case studies, or third-party reviews of actual audits/pentests found on the site or in searches; no scam complaints, fraud reports, or negative reviews specifically about SeveraDAO Security services located.
- Site is transparent about legal structure (invoices via Florida LLC), requires written authorization and scoped agreements before testing; domain also used for email forwarding.
- Post-conviction business pivoted from AI/crypto trading (SeveraDAO) to cybersecurity consulting, leveraging his offensive security background.
- Wikipediaopen
"Peter Levashov is a Russian spammer and virus creator... operated the Kelihos botnet... pleaded guilty to one count of causing intentional damage to a protected computer, one count of conspiracy, one count of wire fraud, and one count of ag"
- TIMEopen
"This Infamous Russian Hacker Wants Your Crypto Investment... Levashov has been working on a new venture, which he calls SeveraDAO."
SEVERADAO SECURITY LLC (L26000272609), Florida LLC, active per Sunbiz.org; operates SeveraDAO Security for cybersecurity consulting, pentesting, vulnerability research, and assessments
Antivirus Engines
Security Scans
Checked against the major public blocklists used by browsers and security tools — no hits.
Contact Verification
We fetched the page and looked for real-world contact details. Legitimate businesses almost always publish an email on their own domain, a phone number, and a postal address. Scam shops usually don't.
- No phone number listed on the page.
- No postal address visible on the page.
- Contact email on the site's own domain (peter@severadao.ai).
Domain & Encryption
Redirect Chain
- 1301http://severadao.ai/
- 2200https://severadao.ai/
Server Reputation
Proceed with caution
Our automated review flagged enough risk that you should treat this site as unverified.
- Treat severadao.ai as unverified
Do not enter credentials or send money until you have independently verified the business.
- Verify the business through independent channels
Check the company's social profiles, registry records, and search for recent news or reviews that are not hosted on the site itself.
- Never use irreversible payment methods
Crypto, gift cards, wire transfers, and cash apps offer zero buyer protection. Use a credit card or PayPal if you must pay.
- OpenShare your experience
If you have additional context, drop a comment below or post on the MalwareTips forum.
Reputation Sources
How this domain rates across independent threat-intelligence and blocklist providers.
Referenced Domains
Outbound domains this page links to or loads resources from. Each links to its own security scan.
Safety FAQ
Common questions about this site, answered directly from the scan data above — so the answers always reflect the latest verdict on this page.
- Our automated security review marked severadao.ai as suspicious. Several warning signs were detected; it may still turn out legitimate, but you should verify it through independent channels before trusting it with money or credentials.
- severadao.ai currently scores 55/100 on our trust scale. We found enough warning signals to recommend caution. Verify the site through independent channels before entering credentials or money.
- Yes. severadao.ai presents a valid TLSv1.3 certificate issued by Google Trust Services · WE1, expiring in 47 days. Note that SSL only encrypts the connection — it does not guarantee that the site itself is trustworthy.
- No. All 92 antivirus engines in our malware network report severadao.ai as clean.
- No. severadao.ai is not currently listed on the major browser blocklist feeds that modern browsers use.
- severadao.ai resolves to an IP operated by Cloudflare, Inc. in US (usage type: Content Delivery Network). Hosting location alone doesn't make a site good or bad, but unusual geography for a brand's claimed country is one of many signals we weigh.
- This is a permanent record of the scan run on June 23, 2026. The verdict and evidence above reflect that scan and do not change on their own. If circumstances around severadao.ai have changed, MalwareTips staff can run a fresh scan, which re-runs every check from scratch and publishes an updated report.
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