CZ Warns Pre-AI Security Won't Cut It, Says Binance and Crypto Have Work to Do

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao says the security playbook crypto has relied on may already be outdated. Systems built before the arrival of AI aren't necessarily enough to handle what's coming, he warned, according to CoinDesk.

That's a blunt assessment from the man who built the world's largest crypto exchange. He framed it as an industry-wide problem, not just a Binance one — plenty of work ahead for his old shop and for everyone else building in the space.

Zhao's track record makes the comment land harder. He was the public face of Binance through years of exchange hacks, phishing waves and exploit seasons, and he's seen how fast attackers adapt when defenders get comfortable.

The timing adds weight too. AI tools are already showing up in the wild on both sides of the fight, and defenders working off pre-AI assumptions risk reacting to threats that have already changed shape.

For now, it's a warning rather than a concrete fix. Zhao didn't lay out specifics on what needs rebuilding — only that the current setup won't cut it and the rebuild is substantial, per CoinDesk.