Crypto Hackers Have Stolen Over $17 Billion Across 518 Incidents in 10 Years.
According to DefiLlama data, the total value exploited in the crypto space has now surpassed $17 billion across 518 separate incidents since 2016. #altcoins
Key Statistics:
Average per hack: ~$33 million
Frequency: Roughly one major exploit per week for the past decade
Biggest cause: Private key compromises (brute-force, phishing, etc.) account for over $3.6 billion
Worst year on record: 2025 with losses exceeding $4.04 billion
Just last week, the Kelp DAO rsETH bridge was drained for approximately $290–$292 million, marking the largest DeFi hack of 2026 so far.
The data shows a clear upward trend in both the number of attacks and total value stolen, highlighting persistent vulnerabilities in smart contracts, bridges, and key management across the ecosystem.
Track live hack data on DefiLlama.
Over $17B stolen in 518 hacks — private key compromises remain the biggest threat as 2026’s largest exploit hits $290M.