While being deemed untrustworthy by many from the outset, Kerberos Market still managed to build a sizable community, hosting thousands of unique product listings. In 2026, it became one of the first darknet markets of the year to carry out an exit scam, reinforcing long-standing concerns among parts of its user base.
About Kerberos
First appearing in 2022, Kerberos grew into a moderately sized darknet marketplace with thousands of users. Despite criticism over its unusual operational practices and its distinctly medieval-styled interface, the platform retained a substantial following. While skepticism surrounded it early on, many users continued to trade on the market as it expanded its listings and community presence.
Signs of Trouble
The first indications of instability surfaced in early February, when administrators announced that a disk failure had caused technical issues and that the site would be temporarily inaccessible. By mid-February, the market’s onion addresses went completely offline. Users began discussing the disappearance on Dread, speculating about possible causes.
Further examination suggested that not only the public-facing site but also its backend systems were offline. No additional announcements were made by the administrators, and they have not reappeared since. The lack of communication intensified speculation about the platform’s fate.
Sketchy Beginnings
During discussions on Dread regarding a potential exit scam, HugBunter, a well-known darknet figure and the owner of the forum, made several statements about the market’s technical foundation. According to him, Kerberos was built using the Eckmar script framework, a cryptocurrency market template that provides features such as escrow and allows operators to launch a marketplace with relatively limited development effort.
The use of such a framework would not normally be inherently unusual. However, HugBunter claimed that the Eckmar script network has been associated with phishing activity and is frequently sold by individuals falsely impersonating him online. These claims added another layer of concern to the unfolding situation.
Conclusion
At present, the exact cause of Kerberos Market’s disappearance remains unclear. The initial explanation cited a drive failure, but the prolonged outage and lack of communication have led many to interpret the event as an exit scam. There is also speculation about whether issues connected to the Eckmar framework could have played a role. What is clear is that the market is currently offline and inaccessible. This development marks the second reported exit scam of 2026, following the recent collapse of the La Palida market.
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