Crypto Hacks Cost Over $1 Billion in First Half of 2026
Blockchain security firm Blockaid’s H1 2026 report found a record 212 verified exploit incidents that stole more than $1.1 billion from crypto projects worldwide. The losses were led by Ethereum (about $332 million) and Solana (about $326 million), together accounting for roughly 60 % of the total stolen value. The single largest attacks were the KelpDAO breach ($292 million) and the Drift Protocol breach ($285 million), together representing over half of all losses.
Operational security failures—compromised credentials, signer infrastructure and other access‑control breaches—were responsible for about 74 % of the stolen funds (roughly $789 million). Threat actors linked to North Korea accounted for roughly 55 % of the total losses. The report notes that while the dollar amount is lower than the previous year’s peak, the sheer number of attacks marks the most‑hacked six‑month period in crypto history.
Entities: Blockaid · Drift Protocol · Ethereum · Ido Ben‑Natan · KelpDAO · Solana
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 7 SOURCES] Ethereum losses amounted to roughly $332 million. (Blockaid report)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Crypto hacks in the first half of 2026 resulted in losses exceeding $1 billion. (Blockaid report)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The largest single exploit was KelpDAO, resulting in a loss of about $292 million. (Blockaid report)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] BNB Smart Chain losses were about $185 million; Base losses about $137 million; Arbitrum losses about $130 million.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Operational attacks, such as compromised credentials and signer infrastructure, accounted for about 74% ($789 million) of total stolen funds. (Blockaid report)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Suspected North Korea‑linked threat actors were responsible for roughly 55% of all exploit losses. (Blockaid report)
- [● 8 SOURCES] 212 security incidents were recorded in the first half of 2026. (Blockaid report)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Solana losses amounted to roughly $326 million. (Blockaid report)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The Drift Protocol breach resulted in losses of about $285 million. (Blockaid report)