Drift

2026

Record

Higher

Surge

<h2 id="b-tldr-b">TLDR:</h2>
<ul>
 <li>Crypto hacks hit a record 207 incidents in H1 2026 while losses dropped to $972 million overall.</li>
 <li>Smart contract exploits represented 125 incidents but generated only a small share of stolen funds.</li>
 <li>North Korea-linked attacks accounted for roughly $643 million, or about 66% of all crypto thefts.</li>
 <li>Infrastructure breaches made up only 15% of incidents yet drove around 76% of total losses.</li>
</ul>
Crypto hacks reached a new record during the first half of 2026, even as total losses declined sharply from a year earlier. Attackers carried out 207 separate incidents and stole $972 million during the six-month period.&nbsp;
The number of incidents more than doubled compared with the same period in 2025. The data shows that smaller exploits now occur more frequently while a few <a href="https://blockonomi.com/crypto-hacks-in-2026-450m-lost-across-45-protocols-in-two-weeks/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">major breaches</a> still drive most financial damage.
<h2 id="b-crypto-hacks-surge-as-smart-contract-exploits-push-incident-count-higher-b">Crypto Hacks Surge as Smart Contract Exploits Push Incident Count Higher</h2>
TRM Labs <a href="https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/h1-2026-crypto-hacks-reach-record-high-as-losses-fall-below-usd-1-billion?utm_campaign=Brand-Global_h1-2026-crypto-hacks-reach-record-high-as-losses-fall-below-usd-1-billion_blog&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaignname=Brand-Global&amp;utm_activity=h1-2026-crypto-hacks-reach-record-high-as-losses-fall-below-usd-1-billion&amp;utm_activitytype=blog" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reported</a> that crypto hacks reached their highest six-month total on record during H1 2026. The firm tracked 207 incidents, up from 83 cases during the first half of last year.
The increase continued throughout the year instead of emerging from a single event. TRM Labs recorded 123 incidents during the second quarter alone.
Smart contract exploits accounted for 125 of the 207 incidents. These attacks targeted decentralized finance protocols, decentralized exchanges, and token projects.
According to TRM Labs, attackers increasingly combined several code manipulations into one exploit. The firm said this trend contributed to the steady rise in incident numbers.
Despite the increase, financial losses remained well below 2025 levels. Total stolen funds reached $972 million compared with $2.3 billion during the first half of last year.
TRM Labs said the median loss from a hack stood near $219,000. Thousands of <a href="https://coincentral.com/21shares-cuts-2026-crypto-forecasts-as-bitcoin-cycle-holds-and-defi-hacks-rise/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">DeFi applications</a> and smart contracts continue to create new opportunities for attackers.
<div class="embed-x">
 <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
 Attackers carried out 207 crypto hacks in H1 2026 — a record for any six-month period — but total losses fell to USD 972 million, less than half of the USD 2.3 billion stolen in H1 2025. Two distinct patterns explain the divergence.
 <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f539.png" alt="🔹"> Infrastructure compromises made up roughly… <a href="https://t.co/lLDiTjmrFM" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pic.twitter.com/lLDiTjmrFM</a>
 — TRM Labs (@trmlabs) <a href="https://x.com/trmlabs/status/2072666742812270633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">July 2, 2026</a>
 </blockquote>
</div>
<h2 id="b-north-korea-linked-attacks-dominated-crypto-theft-losses-b">North Korea-Linked Attacks Dominated Crypto Theft Losses</h2>
TRM Labs attributed about $643 million of stolen funds to North Korea-linked activity. That amount represented roughly 66% of all losses recorded during H1 2026.
Nearly all of those losses came from two April attacks. The breaches targeted <a href="https://blockonomi.com/drift-protocol-unveils-295m-recovery-strategy-after-devastating-hack/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Drift Protocol</a> and KelpDAO and resulted in combined losses of about $577 million.
The Drift Protocol incident accounted for approximately $285 million in losses. The KelpDAO exploit added another $292 million, according to TRM Labs.
Infrastructure and operational compromises represented only about 15% of incidents. However, those attacks generated around 76% of total losses.
TRM Labs said these breaches targeted signing systems, credentials, and asset control infrastructure rather than vulnerabilities in on-chain code. Meanwhile, smart contract exploits made up most incidents but contributed a much smaller share of stolen funds.
The report also identified other attack types during the period. One physical coercion incident, commonly called a wrench attack, resulted in losses of around $24 million.
TRM Labs said organizations should continue auditing smart contracts while strengthening key management systems and transfer approval procedures. The firm also noted that major infrastructure compromises continue to define annual <a href="https://parameter.io/canadian-man-admits-to-13m-crypto-theft-spent-on-supercars-and-jets/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">crypto theft</a> totals even when smaller exploits occur more frequently.
The post <a href="https://blockonomi.com/crypto-hacks-hit-record-207-cases-in-h1-2026-but-losses-decline-trm-labs/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Crypto Hacks Hit Record 207 Cases in H1 2026, But Losses Decline: TRM Labs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blockonomi.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Blockonomi</a>.

Crypto Hacks Hit Record 207 Cases in H1 2026, But Losses Decline: TRM Labs

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