Every few months, the crypto ecosystem reports hundreds of millions, or even billions, being stolen. In February 2025, for example, ByBit lost $1.5 billion from a single exploit. Through 2024, attackers looted over $2.2 billion from crypto projects - a roughly 21 percent increase compared to exploits and hacks in 2023.
With over 200 billion dollars locked in DeFi smart contracts worldwide, builders and investors cannot afford to overlook security. Going forward, smart contract audit services serve as a critical layer of protection that can determine whether your project scales sustainably or becomes the next cautionary tale in risk management.
Why Are Smart Contracts Still Vulnerable?
Smart contracts continue to be among the largest targets for manipulation in the Web3 ecosystem, despite their growth in recent years. In 2024, 410 security events have caused over $2.01 billion in damages. In fact, access control vulnerabilities alone are responsible for almost $953 million in losses.
While these are generally easy to find using traditional auditing, the Move programming language has an entirely distinctive security model. Research shows that arithmetic overflow (61.3%) and privilege leakage (10%) are the dominant vulnerability types in Aptos contracts. Most audits are not designed to incorporate Move, leaving holes that could affect millions of users.
What Distinguishes A Move Smart Contract Audit?
Reserved for resource safety and predictable execution, the Move language's novelty creates its own set of blind spots.
A Move scanner tool has an 88.2 percent accuracy when scanning Move contracts. Although it can handle automated scanning, it cannot resolve every issue that may arise. Good Move smart contract auditing services consist of two steps: first, the automated scan, and second, a manual review by a professional team.
This hybrid model is important. Only 20 percent of hacked protocols in 2024 had ever been audited. Of these hacked protocols, audited ones accounted for only 10.8 percent of the value lost. Audits are proving their worth in reducing losses.
How Do Aptos and Sui Change the Equation?
The Move ecosystem continues to accelerate. The market cap for Move-based blockchains has grown from $5 billion to $22 billion in just one year.
Several key statistics demonstrate the essential need for proper auditing:
Sui brought in six times the fee revenue of Aptos - 10.4 million compared to 1.7 million.
Sui also recorded 3.5 times the DEX trading volume of Aptos - 38.3 billion vs 10.8 billion.
These numbers highlight that an exploit on either network could damage user trust and increase skepticism about adoption. For those building in Aptos and Sui, Move smart contract audit services bring reliability and build confidence with both investors and users.
For more information, see our blog: Move Smart Contract Auditing: How it Improves Security in Aptos and Sui.
How Much Do We Pay for Prevention vs. Failure?
Thorough audits generally cost between $15,000-$70,000, depending on project complexity [Source: CoinLaw]. To put this in context, the cause of a breach can be far greater. The Bybit hack itself cost more than the GDP of some smaller countries.
The economics of prevention are apparent; the market for smart contract audits is set to grow from $940 million in 2024 to $7.6 billion by 2033, according to Growth Market Reports. An audit is now a smart operational investment for survival and scaling.
Antier’s Perspective: Auditing Your Security Wall
You can think of a smart contract as a wall of a fortress. Even one breach is enough for thieves to gain access. Antier is not just a Move smart contract auditing firm; we are the architects of secure structures and active guardians against threats.
With our expertise in auditing, regulatory compliance, and investor due diligence for Move smart contracts, we assist enterprises and founders in safeguarding billions in assets, enhancing trust, and supporting long-term growth.
Final Thoughts
The next billion-dollar DeFi hack "is not a question of if" but "who". Partnering with a Move smart contract audit company means that security is not left to chance. Founders, CTOs, and investors can deploy knowing their code has been secured against both common exploits and Move-specific vulnerabilities. In a fast-moving industry, where innovation is key and trust can collapse overnight, prevention is the best strategy.
