Bube

We have worked with billion-dollar protocols and organised 150+ security audits over the past 3 years. Here are 5 rules every Web3 project should live by in 2026: (BOOKMARK AND RETWEET) 1. Don’t rely on AI security alone before mainnet We are not there yet, and we won’t be there anytime soon to rely only on AI for security. AI should be leverage for auditors, a tool that helps them deliver better results, not a substitute. Dev teams running automated tools and calling it an audit is absurd. That’s how you start getting hacked. Security can be expensive, but it’s mandatory and existential. If you had $50M stored in your house, wouldn’t you invest heavily in protecting it? 2. High-paid devs ≠ secure code We’ve spoken to many founders who believe that because they hired expensive developers, mistakes won’t happen. They will. Everyone is biased toward their own code. Security requires an unbiased, professional opinion from a dedicated audit firm. Never assume your devs can’t make mistakes, because that assumption can cost you everything. 3. Clear documentation reflects a clear threat model This is extremely important for auditors. The clearer your documentation, the faster and more accurately they can understand your protocol and its intended behavior. If it improves the auditor’s work, it directly improves your security, so there’s no reason to neglect it. Messy or incomplete documentation increases risk and frustrates both auditors and users. You also need well-structured contracts and proper NatSpec reduce audit blind spots. Good structure makes complex systems easier to reason about and reduces the chance of missing critical issues. Follow the official Solidity guidelines and keep your code clean and consistent. Poor structure hides vulnerabilities and slows down the entire audit process. 4. Too many Crits and Highs? Don’t deploy If you have lots of Critical and High findings in your first audit, that’s a clear signal there are likely more bugs in the codebase. An audit is a time-restricted engagement, and if the system is full of issues, not everything may be uncovered within scope. That’s not the auditor’s fault. In this case, you need a second audit before even considering mainnet. 5. Have a detailed incident response plan You may think it can never happen to your protocol, but no one is 100% safe. There is always a real chance something goes wrong, and you need to be prepared. You need: • Clear communication strategy • Defined roles and responsibilities • Precise steps in case of a hack • Pre-made decisions such as pausing contracts or freezing assets Everything should be prepared in advance, down to the last detail.