The cryptocurrency industry suffered a record number of cyberattacks in the first half of 2026 despite a sharp drop in the total amount of money stolen, showing that hackers are becoming more active and more sophisticated rather than less dangerous.
According to a new report by blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs, hackers stole about $972 million worth of cryptocurrencies between January and June 2026. While this represents a 57 percent decline from the $2.3 billion stolen during the same period in 2025, the number of successful attacks surged to an all-time high.
TRM Labs recorded 207 successful hacks and exploits in the first six months of 2026, more than double the 83 incidents reported a year earlier. The second quarter alone witnessed 123 attacks, making it the busiest six-month period ever recorded for crypto security breaches.
The figures suggest that the industry’s apparent improvement is misleading.
“The numbers tell two very different stories at once. We recorded more crypto hacks in the first six months of 2026 than in any prior half-year period on record, but total losses fell sharply, almost entirely because North Korea did not execute another operation on the scale of last year’s $1.5 billion Bybit hack,” said Ari Redbord, global head of Policy and Government Affairs at TRM Labs.
