Tag: Crypto Hacks

  • Crypto Hack Losses Exceed $1 Billion in First Half of 2026 as North Korean Groups Lead Attacks

    Crypto Hack Losses Exceed $1 Billion in First Half of 2026 as North Korean Groups Lead Attacks

    Cryptocurrency projects lost over $1 billion across 212 separate hacks during the first half of 2026, according to a new report from blockchain security firm Blockaid. The firm described the period as the most-hacked half-year on record by incident count, verifying 3.4 times as many high-threshold exploits over six months as it did throughout all of 2025. However, total losses remained below the previous year’s figure.

    A $1.5 billion attack on Bybit pushed 2025 losses to $2.58 billion across 63 incidents. In contrast, 2026 produced more frequent attacks but smaller average thefts.

    North Korea-Linked Hackers Take Nearly $600 Million

    North Korea-linked hackers accounted for almost $600 million in stolen funds. Blockaid tied two major April attacks to those groups. The Drift Protocol exploit caused $285 million in losses, while the KelpDAO attack removed $292 million. Together, they represented more than half of the half-year total.

    Attackers drained Drift in about 12 minutes after compromising multisig signers. Blockaid linked that breach pattern to LinkedIn social engineering aimed at key holders. The report said the same method produced two of the four largest incidents and found no structural reason for attackers to stop using it.

    Ethereum and Solana Lead Network Losses

    Ethereum projects lost $332 million, while Solana projects lost $326 million. Those figures placed both networks ahead of every other blockchain in total losses. Code exploits caused most Ethereum incidents. Blockaid said attackers targeted Ethereum because it hosts high-value restaking platforms, stablecoins, and decentralized exchanges.

    Solana’s losses rose sharply from about $127 million in 2025. Key breaches and signing infrastructure failures caused more than 98% of its losses.

    AI Agents Create a New Security Threat

    Blockaid expects more AI agent exploits during the second half of 2026. The firm identified a $216,000 Bankr incident as the first exploit of its kind. AI agent deployment is expanding about tenfold each year, according to the report. Blockaid expects prompt injection to lead attack methods, followed by abuse of connected tools.

    Can security controls keep pace as attack frequency rises and AI agents spread? Recovery efforts at Drift and KelpDAO show the operational burden after major breaches. Drift proposed a recovery pool with exchange revenue and support from partners, including Tether. The plan includes up to $127.5 million and requires audits, dedicated signing devices, and a redesigned multisig.

    KelpDAO completed the operational phase of its recovery plan on May 25. It resumed minting and redemptions, while litigation over frozen funds continued. Meanwhile, a wallet tied to the Drift exploiter moved 23,095.1 Ether into Tornado Cash between July 23 and July 24. The transfer carried an estimated value of $44.4 million. The report now points to AI agents, signer security, and prompt injection as key risks for the second half.

  • Bitcoin ETF Inflows Top $21M, Strike Launches BTC Loan, CASHCAT Soars 718%: Crypto News Roundup

    Bitcoin ETF Inflows Top $21M, Strike Launches BTC Loan, CASHCAT Soars 718%: Crypto News Roundup

    The crypto market witnessed a flurry of activity as Bitcoin spot ETFs saw renewed inflows, Strike introduced a novel Bitcoin-backed loan product, and the meme token CASHCAT skyrocketed over 718%. Meanwhile, crypto hacking losses declined year-on-year, and Solana’s tokenized asset ecosystem continued to expand.

    Bitcoin ETF Inflows Hit $21.44 Million

    According to data from SoSoValue, Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded a total net inflow of $21.44 million yesterday. BlackRock’s IBIT led the charge with a daily net inflow of $54.80 million, bringing its historical net inflow to an impressive $60.26 billion. On the other hand, Fidelity’s FBTC experienced the highest net outflow of $24.92 million, with its total historical net inflow standing at $10.23 billion. The total net asset value of Bitcoin spot ETFs now stands at $77.26 billion, representing an ETF net asset ratio of 6.05%, with cumulative net inflows reaching $51.37 billion.

    Strike Introduces Bitcoin-Backed Loan Without Liquidations

    Strike has launched a new Bitcoin-backed loan product designed to address forced liquidations during periods of extreme market volatility. The key innovation is the removal of margin calls and price-based liquidations, allowing customers to retain their Bitcoin collateral even if the cryptocurrency experiences a sharp decline. However, this added protection comes with trade-offs: borrowers face higher interest rates, shorter repayment periods, and strict repayment schedules. The loans offer a maximum loan-to-value ratio of 45% with six-month terms, and interest rates ranging from approximately 10.7% to 14.2%. While Bitcoin price drops won’t trigger liquidation, borrowers must make timely repayments or risk losing their collateral.

    CASHCAT Surges 718% in 24 Hours

    CASHCAT, a meme token operating on Robinhood’s newly introduced Layer 2 blockchain, surged more than 718% in 24 hours, pushing its market capitalization above $68 million, according to CoinMarketCap DexScan data from July 8. The token’s price stabilized near $0.08365, representing a 962.81% increase since tracking began, with a liquidity volume of approximately $2.6 million. CoinMarketCap lists CASHCAT as unverified, and its social media channels are marked as third-party. Blockchain tracker Lookonchain identified a wallet ending in 0xDE4C that turned $838 into over $1 million. The trader purchased 15.04 million CASHCAT tokens about 20 days ago, selling 13.5 million for a profit of roughly $917,600, with the remaining 1.5 million tokens valued at approximately $133,700.

    Crypto Hack Losses Decline 47% in First Half of 2026

    Losses from crypto exploits fell 46.8% year-on-year to $1.32 billion in the first half of 2026, according to security firm CertiK. However, second-quarter exploit losses rose 59% from the previous quarter to $807.5 million, with attacks becoming more frequent and damaging per event. CertiK cautioned that the lower total does not indicate a safer market. Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs recorded 207 crypto hacks in the first half, more than double the 83 incidents from a year earlier—the highest count TRM has measured across any six-month period. Smart contract exploits accounted for 125 incidents (60% of the total) but caused limited financial damage, while infrastructure and operational compromises represented about 15% of incidents but roughly 76% of losses.

    Solana’s Tokenized Assets Reach $8.7 Billion

    In its latest report updated as of July 6, 2026, RWA.xyz revealed that the transfer volume of Solana’s tokenized assets more than doubled previous records amid higher circulation on the blockchain. The total value of assets distributed on the network increased by 36.27% during the same period, reaching $3.48 billion. Network data indicated that the spot volume of tokenized assets on decentralized exchanges grew from $2.69 billion in Q1 2026 to $5.7 billion in Q2 2026.

  • Crypto Hack Losses Drop 7% in June, Humanity Protocol Hit by $36M Exploit

    Crypto Hack Losses Drop 7% in June, Humanity Protocol Hit by $36M Exploit

    Crypto-related thefts declined in June after several months of heavy losses, although attackers continued targeting blockchain projects through private key compromises and bridge vulnerabilities. Blockchain security firm PeckShield reported about $75.9 million stolen across 40 major incidents, marking a 7.1% decrease from May’s $81.7 million.

    Even so, the monthly decline did little to slow the year’s overall losses. Data from blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs showed crypto hacks and exploits have already cost the industry more than $750 million in 2026, with two large attacks recorded earlier this year accounting for a major share of that total.

    Humanity Protocol Records June’s Largest Exploit

    Humanity Protocol recorded the biggest security breach during June. PeckShield estimated the exploit at about $31 million, while the project’s internal investigation later placed losses closer to $36 million. According to the project, attackers gained access after compromising a private key linked to the protocol’s bridge administration.

    Founder Terence Kwok said the breach resulted from a compromised private key. Humanity Protocol also stated that attackers accessed bridge administration on Ethereum and BNB Chain after compromising a developer’s laptop. The project said the incident allowed hackers to drain wallets and mint about 447 million H tokens. Reports also stated that the exploit triggered an 80% to 90% decline in the token’s market price. Humanity Protocol added that it is preparing a recovery plan, including a possible 1:1 token airdrop for affected users. Meanwhile, reports linked the attack to North Korea’s Lazarus Group, although investigations remain ongoing.

    Bridge Exploits and Protocol Attacks Continue

    Beyond Humanity Protocol, several blockchain projects also suffered large losses during June. PeckShield reported that Syscoin Bridge lost about $10 million after attackers exploited a validation flaw that allowed billions of unsupported SYS tokens to be minted without the required token burn.

    A bot associated with the address JaredFromSubway.eth also lost about $7.5 million after being targeted by another exploit. Other affected platforms included Secret Network, Polymarket users, SecondFi and TESSERA, with reported losses ranging between $2.4 million and $4.67 million.

    Meanwhile, Aztec’s deprecated infrastructure was exploited twice during the month. PeckShield tracked approximately $2.16 million stolen from Aztec Bridge and another $2.1 million from Aztec Connect. According to the Aztec Foundation, both immutable contracts are no longer under its control and cannot be paused. Combined losses reached about $4 million.

    The remaining projects in PeckShield’s top ten included Taiko Bridge, Token of Power, Raydium and LABUBU/OLPC, with each incident resulting in losses exceeding $1 million.

    Crypto Losses Remain High in 2026

    Although June recorded a lower monthly total, overall crypto losses during 2026 remain elevated. TRM Labs estimated that hackers have already stolen more than $750 million this year. According to the firm, two attacks linked to North Korea accounted for much of those losses.

    On April 1, Drift Protocol lost about $285 million after attackers reportedly spent months using social engineering tactics against governance signers. Later, on April 18, Kelp DAO’s LayerZero bridge lost approximately $292 million after attackers compromised its verifier network.

    Meanwhile, PeckShield reported that the Humanity Protocol exploiter has moved stolen assets across Bitcoin, Solana, Hyperliquid, and BNB Chain. The firm also found that some funds were mixed with assets connected to the separate Kelp DAO exploit. PeckShield said this pattern ‘raises the possibility the same threat actor is behind both attacks,’ though no final attribution has been confirmed.

  • Bitcoin ETFs See $222M Outflow, UK FCA Finalizes Crypto Rulebook, Binance Hit With $200M Lawsuit: Crypto News Roundup

    Bitcoin ETFs See $222M Outflow, UK FCA Finalizes Crypto Rulebook, Binance Hit With $200M Lawsuit: Crypto News Roundup

    The cryptocurrency market witnessed a flurry of notable events today, as Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded massive outflows, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published its final crypto rulebook, and Binance faced a $200 million class-action lawsuit in London. Additionally, hackers managed to steal over $75 million from crypto platforms in June.

    Bitcoin Spot ETFs Suffer $222 Million in Net Outflows

    According to data from SoSoValue, Bitcoin spot ETFs experienced a total net outflow of $222.64 million on the last trading day. BlackRock’s IBIT led the withdrawals with a daily net outflow of $212.45 million, bringing its total historical net inflow to $60.25 billion. Fidelity’s FBTC followed with a $10.20 million outflow, and its historical net inflow now stands at $10.13 billion. The total net asset value of Bitcoin spot ETFs is $70.95 billion, with an ETF net asset ratio of 6.02%. Cumulative net inflows across all Bitcoin ETFs have reached $51.15 billion.

    CryptoQuant CEO Predicts Parabolic Bitcoin Rally

    CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his outlook, stating that Bitcoin is poised for another parabolic surge. He noted that while capital efficiency is declining, the current cycle has seen $697 billion in net capital inflows, generating only a 689% return. In contrast, $2.7 billion in 2011 drove a 55,436% increase. Ju believes that the next parabolic bull run will require deeper institutional allocation and that Bitcoin must transition into a core macro asset rather than remaining an ETF product driven primarily by retail investors. He added that this shift is still in its early stages and that Bitcoin could achieve another parabolic surge if it absorbs over $1 trillion in realized market cap.

    UK FCA Releases Final Crypto Rulebook

    The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has finalized a comprehensive crypto rulebook, published on June 30. The framework introduces mandatory licensing, custody standards, market-abuse protections, disclosure requirements, and prudential rules. Firms wishing to conduct regulated crypto activities in the UK must obtain FCA approval. Applications will open on September 30, 2026, and close on February 28, 2027, with the regime expected to take effect on October 25, 2027. A notable change from the initial proposal is the reduction in capital requirements for non-systemic stablecoin issuers from 2% to 1% of the total value issued. The UK’s stablecoin framework operates on two tracks: the FCA oversees most qualifying stablecoin issuers and cryptoasset custodians, while the Bank of England handles systemic stablecoins.

    June Hacks Drain $75.87 Million From Crypto Platforms

    According to blockchain security firm PeckShield, crypto platforms lost approximately $75.87 million across 40 separate hacking incidents in June. This figure marks a 7.13% decline from May’s total of $81.7 million. The largest single breach was the Humanity Protocol exploit, which accounted for over $30 million in losses. Attackers compromised private keys that had been backed up to a malware-infected developer machine. Security firm Quantstamp reported that the methods and tools used in the attack are commonly associated with North Korean hacking groups. The exploiter has since laundered the stolen funds across multiple networks, including Bitcoin, Solana, Hyperliquid, and BNB Chain.

    Binance Faces $200 Million Class-Action Lawsuit in London

    Approximately 1,700 British investors have filed a class-action lawsuit before the High Court in London against Binance and its co-founder Changpeng Zhao. The plaintiffs are demanding $200 million in damages for losses allegedly incurred due to the trading of unauthorized derivative products. The case was officially filed on June 30. The traders claim that Binance promoted high-risk leveraged products since late 2019 without obtaining the necessary regulatory permissions. According to KP Law, the firm representing the claimants, many of the clients were ordinary citizens who invested their life savings and suffered losses of tens of thousands of pounds.

    Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile and involve significant risk. Always conduct your own research before investing.