June 2026: a wave of crypto project hacks exceeded 20 incidents — Taiko lost $1.7 million
June 2026 is shaping up to be one of the hottest months for the crypto industry in terms of security. According to analytics, more than 20 hacks of crypto projects have already been recorded in the first half of the month. Another high-profile incident involved the Taiko project, an Ethereum-compatible rollup that lost approximately $1.7 million due to a vulnerability in the network state verification mechanism.
Attack on Taiko: Details and Consequences
Experts from Blockaid were the first to detect an ongoing attack on Taiko bridges and issued a warning. The project team promptly confirmed the incident, noting that all platform bridges are no longer considered secure. The hacker has already begun withdrawing funds: 1.99 million TAIKO tokens (approximately $189,000) were sent from the wallet to the MEXC exchange. At the time of publication, 870.8 ETH — nearly $1.52 million — remain at the attacker's address.
Taiko is actively cooperating with the Security Council and ecosystem partners to contain the threat. The team is also considering technical and legal measures against the hacker. In an appeal to centralized exchanges, the project requested a freeze on TAIKO token deposits until further notice.
"We strongly urge you to urgently withdraw funds from all bridges deployed on Taiko," the team stated.
Bridges — The Primary Target for Hackers
Bridges traditionally remain one of the most vulnerable points in crypto infrastructure. 2026 is no exception: since the beginning of June, more than 20 hacks have been recorded in the industry, and attacks are ongoing. The public addresses of the attackers have already been published, allowing for tracking of fund movements. The fate of the stolen assets largely depends on how quickly exchanges can block the flagged wallets.
Expert Opinion
The current situation confirms that the security of bridges and verification mechanisms remains the "Achilles' heel" of DeFi. Investors and project teams should reconsider their approaches to auditing and monitoring — passive protection no longer works. The market is entering a phase where each new incident can seriously undermine trust in entire ecosystems.