Record-Breaking Crypto Security Losses Reach $1.1 Billion in Six Months

Crypto security risks showed little sign of easing in the first half of 2026, despite efforts to improve defenses. In fact, attacks accelerated to record levels, pushing industry losses beyond $1.1 billion in just six months, according to a report by Blockaid.

The report tracked over 212 on-chain incidents, with losses exceeding those recorded throughout all of 2025. The incident count reached 3.4 times the previous full-year level, suggesting attackers are exploiting vulnerabilities faster than projects can address them.

The $600 million in losses across DeFi in April alone accounted for over 50% of these losses. The Kelp DAO ($293 million) and Drift Protocol ($285 million) incidents stood out as the biggest individual attacks, demonstrating how a single breach can erase significant value within hours.

Ethereum recorded the largest losses at $332 million, while Solana trailed closely behind at $326 million. However, the attack methods differed considerably, with Ethereum's concentration of high-value protocols making smart contracts and protocol code the preferred targets.