Crypto: Ethereum and Solana number 1 targets for hackers in 2026

On July 28, 2026, the security platform specializing in the analysis of onchain transactions Blockaid publishes its security report for the first half of 2026. The facts are alarming: losses linked to crypto hacks amount to $3.1 billion, spread over more than 75 major attacks. The highest number of hacks ever recorded in such a short period! Ethereum accounts for more than half of the losses. However, Solana is also among the most targeted crypto networks.

Ethereum remains the preferred target of crypto hackers

With around $1.63 billion stolen by crypto hackersEthereum represents nearly 53% of hacks recorded in the first half of the year. The Blockaid report nevertheless highlights an important point: the finding does not necessarily mean that the architecture of this crypto blockchain is more vulnerable than that of its competitors.

Ethereum still concentrates most of the value locked in DeFi. It hosts thousands of decentralized applications. Above all, it constitutes the reference infrastructure for many crypto financial protocols. This concentration of liquidity naturally attracts cybercriminals, who favor targets offering the best potential return.

This logic is comparable to that observed in the traditional financial system. The world’s largest banks are regularly among the most attacked institutions, not because they are the least secure, but because they hold the largest assets.

Solana becomes an increasingly attractive target

Second most affected crypto blockchain, Solana totals approximately $373 million in losses. This progression is largely explained by the rise of its ecosystem.

The explosion of memecoins, the increase in transaction volumes and the rapid development of DeFi have greatly increased the activity of the crypto network. Enough to attract not only new users, but also malicious actors looking for opportunities.

The increase in attacks on Solana crypto network can therefore be interpreted as a sign of maturity. Decryption: As an ecosystem gains economic importance, it becomes a more profitable target for hackers.

Smart contracts are no longer the main weak point

THE Blockaid report provides valuable information on:

• the nature of crypto attacks;
• the evolution of the methods used.

For several years, the biggest losses mainly came from errors in smart contracts. Now this trend is reversing. According to Blockaid, approximately $1.83 billion was stolen after wallet compromises, theft of private keys, phishing attacks and even compromises of critical infrastructure.

This simply means that crypto hackers today favor strategies that are often simpler and more profitable :

• deceive a user;
• compromise an administrator;
• gain access to a private key

This mutation probably constitutes the main change in crypto cybersecurity since the rise of DeFi.

Cybersecurity that now goes beyond the crypto blockchain

Asked by CointelegraphBlockaid CEO Ido Ben-Natan recalls that 2025 had already been a heavy year with $2.58 billion lost over 63 incidents. This sum was, however, concentrated on a single major event in the first quarter: the hack of the crypto exchange Bybit to the tune of 1.4 billion dollars. Ethereum and Arbitrum were then at the top of the ranking of the most affected networks.

The attacks observed in 2026 show that crypto cybersecurity is now a global issue. Today’s cybercriminals seek to compromise wallets, multisig signatures, web interfaces, APIs and even technical team accounts.

This approach gradually brings security of crypto projects that of large technology companies. Social engineering campaigns, targeted phishing and credential compromises are becoming increasingly important in the face of purely technical exploits.

For developers and investors alike, protection no longer relies solely on the robustness of the protocols. It also includes access management, infrastructure monitoring and good operational practices.

A transformation that comes at a strategic moment for the crypto industry

The figures published by Blockaid go far beyond the scope of developers. With the arrival of ETFs, the tokenization of assets and the growing interest of banks and asset managers, the trust in the crypto ecosystem now depends on its ability to protect capital.

Each major attack thus weakens this confidence. Above all, it recalls that security constitutes one of the essential conditions for institutional adoption. THE crypto platforms will need to invest more in real-time threat detection, strong authentication and monitoring tools (especially those based on artificial intelligence).

In any case, the Blockaid report highlights a profound change: crypto attacks target less and less code and more and more users, private keys and infrastructure. For an industry that aims to attract institutional investors, strengthening cybersecurity is no longer an option. This constitutes an essential condition.