Crypto hack incidents hit record in H1 despite lower losses than last year

• Crypto hack incidents reached record levels during H1 2026, while total losses exceeded $1 billion but remained below last year’s.
• North Korea-linked groups dominated stolen funds while LinkedIn social engineering enabled multisig compromises and Ethereum and Solana recorded the largest losses.
• Artificial intelligence exploits emerged as another security concern with Blockaid warning that prompt injection, unauthorized signing, and tool misuse are increasing risks.

 

Blockaid reported a record number of crypto hack incidents during the first half of 2026 despite total losses remaining below last year’s level. The security firm verified more exploit cases during the six months than it recorded throughout the whole of 2025, reflecting a significant increase in attack activity across the digital asset sector.

Crypto projects lost more than $1 billion during the first half of the year, although the total remained below H1 2025 because last year’s figures included the exceptional $1.5 billion Bybit exploit, which significantly inflated overall losses.

According to Blockaid, H1 2026 became the most-hacked half-year on record based on the number of confirmed incidents rather than the value stolen. The report indicated that attackers successfully breached more projects even though individual exploits generally involved smaller amounts.

Moreover, the findings suggested that cybercriminals increasingly targeted operational weaknesses across blockchain infrastructure. Consequently, the growing number of incidents highlighted persistent security challenges facing decentralized finance platforms and digital asset service providers.

North Korea-linked hacking groups accounted for the largest share of stolen funds during the reporting period, with Blockaid attributing both the $285 million Drift exploit and the $292 million KelpDAO exploit to the same actors.

Additionally, the report warned that social engineering remains one of the industry’s most effective attack methods. According to Blockaid, LinkedIn-based campaigns repeatedly compromised multisignature wallet signers before hackers executed several of the year’s largest thefts.

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Ethereum and Solana recorded the biggest blockchain losses

Ethereum and Solana suffered the highest financial losses among blockchain networks during the first half of 2026. According to Blockaid, Ethereum-based projects lost approximately $332 million, while Solana projects recorded losses totaling about $326 million.

The report explained that Ethereum attracts larger code-based exploits because many high-value decentralized finance protocols operate on the network. Stablecoin infrastructure, restaking platforms, and decentralized exchange aggregators collectively secure substantial digital assets, making them attractive targets.

Meanwhile, attackers relied on different techniques when targeting Solana-based projects. According to Blockaid, hackers primarily attacked signer infrastructure instead of exploiting vulnerabilities within smart contract code, demonstrating how attack strategies vary across blockchain ecosystems.

Furthermore, Blockaid’s findings closely matched estimates from other blockchain security firms despite differences in reporting methods. Immunefi estimated approximately $972 million in losses across 207 hacking incidents, while Quill Audits reported $935.3 million lost through 87 decentralized finance exploits during the same period.

AI-related exploits emerge as a growing threat

Artificial intelligence has also become an emerging target for crypto attackers, with Blockaid identifying Bankr’s $216,000 exploit as the first confirmed AI agent attack, marking the beginning of a new category of blockchain security risks.

The report expects AI-related exploits to increase as AI agents become more widely deployed across crypto applications. Prompt injection, unauthorized signing, and tool misuse could become increasingly common if developers fail to strengthen security protections.

Conclusion

The first half of 2026 demonstrated that crypto attackers are executing more successful breaches even though total financial losses remain below last year’s unusually high level. The findings highlight the growing importance of stronger operational security, better signer protection, and improved safeguards as AI-powered applications become more integrated into blockchain ecosystems.

Also Read: Morgan Stanley launches lowest-fee Ethereum and Solana ETFs with staking strategy

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