VAJGRT LABSINDEPENDENT BY DESIGN

VAJGRT LABS / CERBERUS / HELP

Install help.

Windows is cautious about new software — and Cerberus is brand new. Every warning below is normal, expected, and safe to click through when the file came from vajgrtlabs.com.

Why does Windows warn you?

Cerberus is made by Vajgrt Labs — an independent maker, not a big software company. Big companies pay hundreds of dollars a year for a code-signing certificate that tells Windows "this software comes from someone verified." We don't have one yet, so Windows treats Cerberus like any brand-new unsigned app and shows scary-sounding warnings. They mean "I don't recognize this yet" — not "this is dangerous."

COMMON ISSUES

Click your warning.

1. "Windows protected your PC" (SmartScreen)
"Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app might put your PC at risk."
WHY THIS HAPPENS

This is the no-certificate warning. Windows shows it for every new unsigned app — it's about reputation, not about finding anything wrong with Cerberus.

WHAT TO DO
  1. On the blue warning window, click More info.
  2. A Run anyway button appears at the bottom — click it.
  3. The installer starts normally.
2. Chrome or Edge says the download "may be dangerous" — or "Virus detected"
"CerberusSetup-0.26.0.exe isn't commonly downloaded and may be dangerous."
Download history: "CerberusSetup-0.28.1.exe — Virus detected"
WHY THIS HAPPENS

Browsers warn about any file that few people have downloaded yet, and Chrome sometimes escalates that to a flat "Virus detected." Cerberus is new and unsigned, so it has no download reputation — the warning is a guess based on "I've never seen this file before," not an actual scan finding anything. It fades on its own as more people install it, and disappears entirely once the installer is code-signed. Which build gets flagged is random: one version downloads clean, the next gets flagged, with no change on our side.

WHAT TO DO
  1. In Chrome, open the download list (⋮ menu → Downloads, or Ctrl+J), find the Cerberus entry, and click Keep.
  2. If it asks "Keep dangerous file?" or "Keep anyway?" — confirm. The file stays in your Downloads folder.
  3. In Edge, click the … next to the download, then Keep.
  4. Verify the file before running it: right-click → Properties → it should be about 25–26 MB, and the Cerberus page lists the current version's exact size under "Latest release." Same size = same file we published.
3. "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?"
User Account Control prompt for "Cerberus Setup" — publisher shows as "Unknown".
WHY THIS HAPPENS

Cerberus genuinely needs administrator rights to do its job: scanning your network, installing the packet-capture driver, creating firewall rules for quarantine, and taking inventory of this PC. Without admin, the protection features can't work. The publisher shows as "Unknown" for the same no-certificate reason as above.

WHAT TO DO
  1. Check the prompt says Cerberus Setup.
  2. Click Yes.
4. My antivirus quarantined or deleted the installer
Windows Security: "Threats found" / "Threat quarantined" naming the Cerberus installer.
WHY THIS HAPPENS

False positives are common for new apps built with PyInstaller — its bootloader pattern trips some antivirus heuristics. That's the antivirus guessing, not a confirmed finding.

WHAT TO DO
  1. Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Protection history.
  2. Find the Cerberus entry and choose Restore.
  3. Add an exclusion so it doesn't happen again: Virus & threat protection settings → Exclusions → Add or remove exclusions, and add the installer file (or the Cerberus program folder after installing).
  4. Run the installer again.
5. Windows Firewall asks about Cerberus on first run
"Windows Defender Firewall has blocked some features of Cerberus on all public and private networks."
WHY THIS HAPPENS

Cerberus discovers the devices on your home network, which needs permission to talk on your local network.

WHAT TO DO
  1. Make sure Private networks is checked (that's your home network).
  2. Click Allow access.
  3. Clicked Cancel by mistake? Go to Settings → Privacy & security → Windows Security → Firewall & network protection → Allow an app through firewall, find Cerberus, and check Private.
6. The installer won't start / double-clicking does nothing WHY THIS HAPPENS

Usually a download that got cut off partway, or the installer needs elevation to launch.

WHAT TO DO
  1. Check the file size: right-click the installer → Properties. It should be about 25.7 MB. If it's smaller, the download was interrupted — re-download from vajgrtlabs.com/downloads/cerberus-installer.
  2. Right-click the installer and choose Run as administrator.
  3. Still nothing? Restart Windows and try once more. If it persists, tell us — include your Windows version.
7. "Where is it? How do I open Cerberus?" WHAT TO DO
  1. Press the Windows key, type Cerberus, and open it.
  2. Cerberus lives in the system tray (bottom-right, near the clock — click the ^ to see it). Right-click the hound icon for quick actions.
  3. The dashboard opens in your browser automatically. If it doesn't, the tray icon has an Open dashboard option.
8. Upgrading to a new version WHAT TO DO
  1. Download the new installer and run it right over the old one — no need to uninstall first.
  2. Your devices, names, settings, and history live in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Cerberus and are preserved across upgrades.
9. Uninstalling Cerberus WHAT TO DO
  1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find Cerberus, and choose Uninstall.
  2. Optional: to wipe all local data too, delete the %LOCALAPPDATA%\Cerberus folder afterward.
10. Login or trial hiccups WHAT TO DO
  1. Your 7-day Pro trial starts automatically the first time you install — there's nothing to activate.
  2. If the app says "account offline", it just can't reach vajgrtlabs.com. Check your internet connection; it re-checks on its own.
  3. Paid but Pro isn't showing? Make sure you're logged in with the same email you used at checkout.

Still stuck?

Tell us what happened — what you clicked, what Windows said, and your Windows version. It goes straight to the person building Cerberus.

Send feedback