Cryptocurrency Theft and Hacking Incidents in February 2026
In February 2026, cryptocurrency-related thefts and hacking incidents amounted to around $37.7 million, marking the lowest monthly loss since March 2025, as reported by cybersecurity firm Certik. Notably, wallet compromises appeared to be the most significant threat, accounting for losses of $16.6 million. Phishing scams were also prevalent, contributing $8.6 million to the overall total.
Major Exploits and Losses
Among the largest individual exploits, YieldBlox experienced the most considerable theft at $10.6 million, followed closely by IoTeX, which lost $8.9 million. Foom incurred losses of $2.3 million, while DeFi protocols overall faced the steepest losses, totaling $14.4 million due to a series of attacks. In addition, AI-focused projects suffered approximately $8.9 million in financial damages throughout the month.
Trends and Analysis
The month marked a decline in losses from the $37.7 million recorded compared to earlier months in 2025. Both January and February of this year featured lower figures than those typically seen in 2025, yet the frequency of attacks remained stable. Interestingly, the drop in total financial losses is attributed to a reduction in high-value exploits rather than an overall decrease in hacking incidents.
Analyzing the incidents more closely, price manipulation schemes accounted for $11.4 million in thefts, while various other attacks led to $5.1 million lost due to code vulnerabilities and $2.1 million from exit scams. The largest single attack involved Instadapp with losses amounting to $10.5 million, followed by EFX at $8.9 million, and other smaller incidents involving Kasm and Initia added to the breach tally.
Funding Recovery
Funding returned or frozen due to these exploits was estimated at $11.3 million, approximately 30% of the total losses incurred. Despite trends indicating lower loss totals, phishing incidents in February were consistent with January’s figures at $8.6 million.
Conclusion
So far this year, February has shown a clear trend of reduced losses in the crypto space as certainties grow regarding the strategies used by cybercriminals, with the frequency of reported incidents remaining relatively unchanged.
