Crypto hack incidents hit record 207 in first half of 2026 as total losses fall

The cryptocurrency ecosystem experienced a surge in attacks during the first half of 2026, with 207 separate incidents – the highest six‑month total on record – according to security firm TRM Labs. Despite the jump in frequency, total thefts amounted to $972 million, a sharp decline from the $2.3 billion lost in the same period of 2025.

North Korea‑linked operations were responsible for roughly two‑thirds of the loss, about $643 million, concentrated in two large April breaches: the Drift Protocol attack ($285 million) and the KelpDAO exploit ($292 million). While smart‑contract exploits were the most common type (125 of the incidents), infrastructure and operational breaches, though only 15 % of the total attacks, accounted for about 76 % of the monetary losses.

In June 2026, monthly crypto thefts dipped 7 % to $75.9 million across 40 incidents, highlighted by the Humanity Protocol breach that cost the project roughly $36 million after a private‑key compromise. Overall, 2026 crypto‑related hacks have already exceeded $750 million in stolen value.