Why Are Security Audits Important in Crypto? 🛡 Recently, I talked about how the Tact programming language for smart contracts on the TON Blockchain is growing and attracting new developers to build innovative projects. In this post, I’ll explain what security audits are and why they matter for smart contracts and TON-based projects. Smart contracts are programs that often control large sums of money, like in token exchange platforms. Security is extremely important in this area. Some may think hiring skilled developers who "just write code without bugs" is enough to make a project secure. However, even the best developers can make mistakes or miss rare edge cases that can lead to vulnerabilities. This is why it’s common to bring in external specialists to conduct security audits. Here’s how it usually works: the project is developed, code is written, most bugs and issues are found and fixed during testing, and then, when everything is ready to launch, the project gets auditors (like CertiK) to carefully review the code and try to find any vulnerabilities or bugs the developers may have missed. However, it's important to remember that an audit does not guarantee that all issues are gone. Auditors, like developers, can also miss something. For big projects, it’s a good idea to have multiple audits by different experts or teams and to run a public bug bounty program. This reduces risks and makes the project as secure as possible. Who Benefits from Security Audits? 🤩 1. Developers and founders. Audits help make sure the code is safe and doesn’t have critical vulnerabilities that could put users' funds or the project’s future at risk. It’s not just a formality — it protects the project's reputation. A mistake in the code could cause major problems, and fixing it before launch can save the project from failure. 2. Investors. For investors, an audit is a sign that the project is reliable and well-built. But they don’t just care about whether an audit was done — they also look at who did the audit. If a well-known and trusted team carried out the audit, it increases confidence in the project and can help attract bigger investments. 3. Users. People using DeFi protocols or other blockchain projects want to know their funds are safe from hacks and exploits. A project that has passed a strong audit gives users more confidence, making them feel more secure. My Experience with Security Audits 👨‍💻 Recently, I’ve audited multiple DeFi projects, including Hipo (a liquid staking protocol), PixelSwap (a decentralized exchange), Emmet (a cross-chain bridge), and several smaller projects. In each project, I found many issues, ranging from minor to critical. After being fixed, they made the system more reliable. These audits didn’t just find problems — they also helped improve the overall quality of the code. If you're preparing to launch a project, doing a security audit is a key step to gaining trust from both users and investors. If you want to discuss your project’s security, feel free to contact me — @Gusarich.