Crypto hacks hit a record 207 incidents in the first half of 2026, even as total stolen funds fell below $1 billion, TRM Labs said.
The first half of 2026 was a record period for crypto hacks, with attackers carrying out 207 incidents even as total stolen funds fell below $1 billion, blockchain forensic firm TRM Labs said in a recent overview.
Although attackers were busier than ever, they stole far less money than last year because most of the increase came from smaller DeFi and smart contract attacks, not another industry-wide mega-hack, the report reads.
As TRM Labs estimates, total losses reached $972 million, less than half the $2.3 billion stolen in the first half of 2025.
Read also: PeckShield: Hackers Draining Crypto Industry — Nearly $76M in June, $750M in First Half of 2026
The number of incidents more than doubled from 83 in the same period last year, while Q2 alone set a new record with 123 attacks. Most of the activity came from smart contract exploits, which accounted for 125 of the 207 incidents, per the report.
The firm said the typical hack now results in about $219,000 in losses, while a few large attacks still pull the overall average much higher.
North Korea Still Drives Losses
Despite the record number of attacks over six months, the largest losses were still concentrated in only a few major incidents, with TRM Labs saying North Korea-linked actors accounted for about $643 million, or roughly 66% of all funds stolen in the first half.
Nearly all of that came from two April attacks, with Drift Protocol (now rebranded as Velocity) losing about $285 million and KelpDAO losing about $292 million.
Infrastructure and operational compromises made up only about 15% of incidents, but drove roughly 76% of total stolen value, while smart contract exploits made up most incidents but only a small share of losses, according to the firm’s findings.
Read more: Humanity Protocol Token H Crashes 82% After $32M Hack
