Cybersecurity experts warned that modern AI tools allow hackers to find vulnerabilities in smart contracts much faster, reducing the efficiency of one-time audits. TRM Labs head Ari Redbord called for a shift to the continuous monitoring model: "Auditing last year’s attack scenarios leaves the protocol vulnerable to this year’s threats."

According to CertiK, the crypto industry lost $1.32 billion in the first half of 2026 due to hacking. New trend - attacks on old or closed protocols using automated AI tools. Examples: $2.1 million from Aztec Connect not in operation since 2023, ~$300,000 from mySwap. A critical vulnerability in Zcash (4 years in code) was discovered by an AI agent based on Claude Opus 4.8.

Experts emphasize: projects with old infrastructure should consider reaudits as a regular requirement. Positive example: white hacker 0xflorent returned 1003 ETH ($1.7 million) to 2016 Hong Coin investors. Redboard has also called on industry and regulators to do more to combat cybercrime.