Why can't nearly 80% of blacklisted projects ever turn around? Experts reveal the golden rules for dealing with hackers

【Blockchain Rhythm】After a crypto project is hacked, the real crisis often isn’t the initial loss of funds, but the chaos in response that follows.

According to data from the Web3 security platform Immunefi, nearly 80% of crypto projects that suffer major hacks never fully recover. The story behind this number is much more complex than simple theft of funds.

Immunefi points out that most protocols share the same problem — they have no clear understanding of their hacking risks and lack operational plans to handle major security incidents. As a result, once a vulnerability is exposed, the entire team falls into a passive state.

The most critical period is the first few hours. This timeframe often determines the subsequent course of action. Without a prepared emergency plan, team members start to shift blame, discuss what to do, which features to suspend, how to notify users — and time slips away amid these debates. Consequently, the impact of the vulnerability continues to grow, and losses that could have been contained keep spreading.

There is also a subtle psychological factor at play: fear of reputation damage. Many project teams prefer to remain silent rather than proactively pause smart contracts or issue immediate risk warnings. This “ostrich strategy” often backfires — users don’t receive official information, and in the vacuum of information, rumors spread rapidly, causing panic to escalate. The terror of silence is far more damaging than transparent bad news.

The reason why 80% of projects that fail to fully recover often collapse is usually due to this: initial response chaos leading to trust erosion, community loss, ecosystem partner disintegration, and the subsequent breakdown of operational systems. In comparison, the initial financial loss is a secondary issue.