In the first half of 2026, total losses of crypto projects from hacks amounted to approximately $972 million. While impressive, this figure shows a significant decrease compared to the same period in 2025. Notably, the number of incidents reached a record high of 207 attacks, but the average damage per hack continues to decline.
The greatest progress is observed in the DeFi sector: losses here fell by 74% from the peak values of 2022, dropping from $2.62 billion to $680.3 million. This sharp decline is explained by a set of measures: active implementation of bug bounty programs, regular audits, and an increase in the number of qualified security specialists.
The key trend of this half-year is a shift in attack vectors. While hackers previously targeted smart contract vulnerabilities, risks are now increasingly associated with infrastructure failures, private key compromises, and errors in cross-chain configurations. This indicates that attackers are adapting, moving from technically complex exploits to simpler but more effective methods of social engineering and key management-level attacks.
From my perspective, the reduction in losses is a positive signal for the market, but it should not be a cause for complacency. The record number of attacks shows that hackers are not giving up, but simply changing their tactics. Projects need to prioritize not only code but also the entire operational infrastructure, including processes for storing and managing private keys. It is these "human" factors that are becoming the Achilles' heel of modern DeFi.