- Crypto hacks totaled $112.53 million throughout January and February 2026, with January accounting for many losses.
- February noticed a pointy decline in stolen funds, however losses remained concentrated in a number of main incidents.
- Cross-chain bridges, DeFi protocols, and phishing assaults proceed to pose systemic safety dangers.
Crypto hasn’t had the cleanest begin to 2026. In accordance with information shared by PeckShield, hacks throughout January and February resulted in $112.53 million in losses. That’s not catastrophic within the context of prior years, but it surely’s removed from reassuring both.
February did present a noticeable slowdown. Nonetheless, whenever you zoom out and mix each months, the message is fairly clear: safety dangers aren’t fading. They’re simply shifting form.
January Carried the Heaviest Harm
January alone accounted for $86.01 million in losses throughout 16 separate hacks. Curiously, that determine represents a slight 1.42% year-on-year decline in comparison with January 2025, which recorded $87.25 million in stolen funds. So technically, it’s “higher.” However barely.
On a month-on-month foundation, losses have been truly 13.25% increased than December 2025’s $75.95 million. So the 12 months didn’t precisely begin on steady footing.
What stands out most is focus. A handful of exploits drove nearly all of harm. Step Finance topped the listing with $28.9 million misplaced, adopted carefully by Truebit at $26.4 million and SwapNet at $13.3 million. Saga reported $7 million in losses, whereas Makina Finance misplaced $4.13 million, although about $2.7 million of that was later recovered.
After which there’s phishing.
PeckShield famous that phishing-related losses exceeded $300 million in January alone. That quantity dwarfs good contract exploits and underscores one thing uncomfortable: social engineering stays one among crypto’s weakest hyperlinks. Code could be audited. Human habits, not a lot.
February Declines Sharply, However Dangers Persist
February’s numbers have been considerably decrease, at the very least on the floor. The sector recorded 15 main hacks totaling $26.52 million, a 69.2% drop from January. 12 months-on-year, the decline seems much more dramatic, down 98.2% in comparison with February 2025.
However that comparability comes with context. Final February included the huge $1.4 billion Bybit-related exploit, which distorted the baseline. Strip that out, and the advance feels much less dramatic.
Even with the decrease combination determine, focus remained excessive. The highest 5 hacks in February accounted for roughly 98% of all stolen funds, or about $25.86 million.
YieldBlox DAO led the month with a $10 million loss. The IoTeX bridge adopted at $8.8 million. CrossCurve reported $4.95 million, FOOM Money $2.26 million, and Moonwell $1.8 million. Smaller numbers than January, sure. However nonetheless significant.
Volatility, Not Decision
If you mix January and February, a sample emerges. It’s not one among regular enchancment. It’s one among volatility and focus.
Giant, headline-grabbing exploits could also be much less frequent than throughout peak bull market chaos, however mid-sized protocol and bridge assaults proceed to floor. Cross-chain infrastructure, particularly, stays weak. And DeFi functions nonetheless carry structural threat that hasn’t absolutely been engineered away.
February’s decline in losses gives a small sense of aid. However aid isn’t decision.
For now, 2026 is shaping up as a reminder that crypto safety isn’t a solved drawback. It’s evolving. Typically tightening. Typically uncovered. And all the time one exploit away from testing market confidence once more.
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