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4 clusters · 11 sources · 22 days · First seen · Last updated

Categories: TECHNOLOGY

2026 cryptocurrency hack surge (mid‑year)

Overview

The first half of 2026 continued a record rise in cryptocurrency‑related attacks. TRM Labs logged 207 incidents with $972 million stolen, while a CertiK study confirmed 344 incidents and a total loss of about $1.3 billion—still far below the $2.47 billion lost in the same period of 2025. The CertiK breakdown shows compromised wallets responsible for $444.5 million (33 cases), phishing attacks for $366.3 million (63 cases) and code bugs for $151.6 million (204 cases).

North Korea‑linked actors remained the dominant threat, accounting for roughly two‑thirds of the monetary damage, most notably in the April breaches of Drift Protocol (≈$280 million) and KelpDAO (≈$291 million). Bridge exploits emerged as the most destructive vector in Q2, representing about 46 % of the $755 million loss from 83 incidents, with the LayerZero‑OFT bridge alone responsible for over a third of that quarter’s damage.

Smart‑contract exploits stayed the most common type, but infrastructure breaches continued to generate the bulk of financial loss. MEV‑related risks were highlighted by a back‑run attack on a Uniswap V3 pool that cost a trader roughly $2 million, while the block builder earned $1.8 million.

Overall, incident counts are climbing while total monetary impact contracts, driven by a shift toward higher‑frequency, lower‑value attacks and a reduced total value locked in DeFi protocols.

Timeline

  1. about 3 hours ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Crypto hack wave in Q2 2026 totals $755 million loss

    Q2 2026 saw a record 83 crypto hacks, costing $755 million; KelpDAO ($293 m) and Drift Protocol ($280 m) were the biggest, with bridge exploits causing nearly half the loss.

  2. 7 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    Crypto market loses $1.3 billion in first half of 2026 after 344 attacks, report shows

    CertiK reports 344 crypto attacks costing $1.3 bn in H1 2026, while a back‑run hack on Ethereum cost a trader $2 m, highlighting rising MEV threats.

  3. 12 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    Crypto hack incidents hit record 207 in first half of 2026 as total losses fall

    Crypto hacks hit a record 207 incidents in H1 2026, with losses dropping to $972 million; North Korea‑linked attacks caused $643 million, including $285 million Drift Protocol and $292 million KelpDAO breaches.

  4. 22 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 4 sources
    Crypto sector records highest number of hacks in Q2 2026

    Q2 2026 saw a record 83 crypto hacks totalling about $755 million, driven mainly by bridge exploits and large breaches of KelpDAO and Drift Protocol, marking a surge in incident frequency despite lower overall

Sources

analyticsinsight.net · coinpedia.org · cointelegraph.com · cryptobreaking.com · cryptonomist.ch · cryptopolitan.com · en.coin-turk.com · finanzen.ch · finanzen.net · livecoins.com.br · spacemoney.com.br