Plain-English definition
What real losses means
Real losses expose the gap between having an audit record and proving that its scope, code, controls, and assumptions still apply when users interact.
Proof feature 04 of 10 · cost of stale smart contract audits
Why Stale Smart Contract Audits Fail
Understand how code drift, authority compromise, partial scope, and unresolved findings make old audit evidence insufficient for current decisions.
Questions this page answers
What to verify
- Did deployed code change after the audit?
- Could privileged roles bypass reviewed behavior?
- Were known findings or dependencies left unresolved?
Evidence checklist
Evidence that makes this useful
Each item must be tied to an inspectable source or remain clearly labeled as pending, unavailable, or unidentified.
01
Change timeline
Upgrades, implementation swaps, patches, and new modules after review.
02
Control failures
Key compromise, unsafe signer thresholds, and privileged actions.
03
Residual exposure
Open findings, excluded contracts, oracle assumptions, and bridge dependencies.
Decision use
How to use this proof
Use incident patterns to decide which proof must be refreshed instead of assuming an old audit logo still applies.
Proof of Audits shows evidence and gaps. It does not guarantee protocol or transaction safety.
Specific answers
Frequently asked questions
Does an exploit mean the original audit was fake?
Not necessarily. The exploit may involve code outside scope, later changes, operational controls, or risks that remained after review.
What should be checked after an incident?
Review the affected code path, authority events, deployment history, audit scope, fix status, and any connected protocol dependencies.