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AI is shortening the shelf life of crypto security audits, researchers warn
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- DeepHorus
AI is shortening the shelf life of crypto security audits, researchers warn, as hackers increasingly exploit vulnerabilities in smart contracts at an accelerating pace. Blockchain security experts are urging crypto protocols to reaudit their smart contracts regularly, warning that automated AI tooling is enabling attackers to identify weaknesses faster than ever before. The traditional one-time audit model is no longer sufficient to protect against evolving threats, according to industry analysts.
TRM Labs head of policy Ari Redbord emphasized the need for continuous review rather than a single audit. "Attack techniques are moving faster than a single audit from launch day can account for," he told Cointelegraph. "An audit built for last year's attack patterns leaves a protocol exposed to this year's as bad actors are changing up." This sentiment echoes findings from multiple security firms.
CertiK reported that hackers stole $1.32 billion in the first half of 2026, adopting sophisticated strategies including revisiting old codebases. The firm noted that attackers likely used improved automated tooling to identify latent vulnerabilities at scale. One notable incident involved the privacy-focused blockchain Zcash, where a security engineer found a major vulnerability using an AI agent powered by Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.8. The bug, which existed for four years, could have enabled undetectable counterfeiting in the Orchard shielded pool.
Additional attacks targeted defunct protocols. On June 14, hackers exploited a smart contract vulnerability to steal $2.1 million from Aztec Connect, which had been shut down since March 2023. Five days later, mySwap lost $300,000 even after its user interface was closed to new deposits for over six months. Meanwhile, a white hat recovered 1,003 ETH from a failed 2016 ICO, highlighting the persistent risks in legacy contracts.
"The window of maximum vulnerability does not close after launch," CertiK warned. "Projects operating legacy infrastructure should treat reauditing as a recurring operational requirement." With over $72.3 billion locked across hundreds of DeFi protocols, the incentive for hackers remains high. A December study by Anthropic found that AI agents identified $4.6 million worth of exploitable vulnerabilities in smart contracts.
Redbord stressed that reaudits are only part of the solution. "Protocols can lock their doors, but someone still has to go after the actor breaking in," he said, calling for broader industry and regulatory efforts to counter malicious cyberactivity from North Korea and disrupt Chinese money laundering networks. The evolving threat landscape demands continuous vigilance and adaptive security measures across the crypto ecosystem.
