Crypto losses from hacks exceed $1 billion in first half of 2026

The crypto world has experienced a record number of security incidents in the first six months of 2026. According to a report by on-chain security platform Blockaid, there were 212 incidents with a total loss of $1.1 billion. This is the highest number of incidents ever recorded in a six-month period. The largest single incident is the KelpDAO exploit, responsible for a loss of $292 million. The average damage per incident stands at $5.4 million, with a median of $213.000.

Ethereum and Solana hardest hit

Of all the hacks and attacks in the first half of the year, the biggest losses were concentrated on two networks. Projects on the Ethereum network lost approximately $332 million in total, while Solana projects lost $326 million. Ethereum is currently trading at $1.900, a decline of 1.3% over the past 24 hours.

The causes of the losses vary significantly by network. On Ethereum, coding errors and vulnerabilities in smart contracts are the primary culprits. On Solana, however, the problem lies almost entirely elsewhere: more than 98% of Solana losses can be traced back to compromised keys and signing infrastructure. The two main projects involved are Drift Protocol and Step Finance.

North Korean hackers behind the attacks

Blockaid draws a clear conclusion about the origin of the attacks. The security firm links a significant portion of the incidents to hacker groups with ties to North Korea. This aligns with a broader trend in which state-sponsored actors are increasingly targeting the crypto sector, particularly through targeted attacks on infrastructure and private keys rather than on code itself.

The record-breaking 212 incidents in six months indicate that the threat is not diminishing. With a maximum loss of $292 million in a single case and an average damage of $5.4 million per incident, it is clear that security issues in the crypto sector pose a serious and growing risk to both individual users and larger DeFi protocols.