Summing up the first half of 2026, I note a significant trend: the total losses of crypto projects from hacker attacks amounted to approximately $972 million. This is the first time since 2022 that half-year losses have fallen below the psychological threshold of $1 billion. Notably, the number of incidents reached a record high — 207 attacks — but the average damage per breach has significantly decreased.
The most striking indicator is the DeFi sector. Losses here fell by 74% from the 2022 peak, dropping from $2.62 billion to $680.3 million. This trend is directly linked to qualitative improvements in security: the widespread adoption of bug bounty programs, regular smart contract audits, and the exponential growth in the number of qualified cybersecurity professionals are making a difference.
Shift in the Threat Vector
Analyzing the structure of attacks, I observe a fundamental shift. While the main vector used to be smart contract vulnerabilities, the primary risks are now concentrated on 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 larger-scale attacks at the asset management level.
Cryptalist Expert Commentary: The current situation is a positive signal for the market. A record number of attacks with reduced damage proves that the industry is learning to defend itself. However, the shift in focus to private keys and infrastructure means that projects need to reconsider their priorities: instead of endless smart contract patches, they should invest in cold storage, multi-signatures, and regular stress tests of network architecture. Otherwise, we risk seeing a new surge of major thefts in the coming quarters.