A happy-path-only focus is a strong smart contract audit warning because it shows the developer tested normal user behavior but ignored attacker behavior, edge cases, abuse paths, oracle manipulation, permission mistakes, and failure modes. For blockchain security careers, this is also a hiring signal: strong candidates can explain what can go wrong, not only what should work. For deeper smart contract audit readiness signals for blockchain security hiring, connect this concept with AOB’s Smart Contract Security Audits Hub. If your hiring team is unsure how to screen for threat modeling in a Solidity, DeFi, or smart contract security role, AOB’s JD Review can help convert vague requirements into clearer proof-based screening signals.

Front-running is often downgraded incorrectly in smart contract audits because teams underestimate MEV and mempool-based exploitability. In DeFi security, transaction ordering attacks can cause repeated economic loss even without a classic code exploit.

Access control bugs often have the highest real-world exploit probability in smart contracts because attackers can directly call privileged functions when role checks fail. In blockchain security audits, broken authorization logic is a common cause of fund loss and protocol takeover.