The vulnerability exploited in the NEAR Intents hack persisted despite multiple security audits, according to AlexAuroraDev. The developer confirmed that auditing firms failed to identify the specific mode of operations and sequence of actions that enabled the exploit. This admission highlights significant limitations in current smart contract audit methodologies, as standard reviews did not detect the complex attack vector. The incident underscores the challenge of identifying sophisticated operational bugs even when protocols undergo repeated professional security assessments.