Crypto Hack Losses Reach $8.74B in 2026 vs. $2.51B in 2025: How Bitcoin and Ether Reacted After Major Exploits
Crypto-related hacking losses climbed to $8.74 billion by October 31, 2026, more than tripling the $2.51 billion recorded during the same period in 2025. The October 29 Binance exploit accounted for $6.36 billion of the total.
Excluding Binance, however, the figures tell a different story. Other crypto hacks generated approximately $2.38 billion in losses during 2026, around 5% below the comparable 2025 figure. This happened despite attackers targeting 325 projects and platforms, compared with just 120 incidents a year earlier. In other words, attacks became more frequent, but one exceptionally large breach dramatically changed the overall numbers.
Total Value Lost to DeFi Hacks
Crypto markets have followed a separate pattern. Among the ten largest exploits since January 2025, Bitcoin’s daily price reaction ranged between a 4.1% decline and a 1.9% gain. For the nine incidents with a complete 30-day trading history, its monthly performance varied from a 15.5% loss to a 19.9% gain, largely reflecting the broader market direction.
The major hacks recorded in 2025 occurred during a bearish market environment, with Bitcoin trading lower one month after every incident. By contrast, most of the significant exploits in 2026 happened while the broader market was moving upward.
This raises two important questions: How severe have crypto hacking losses actually been in 2026, and what can previous market reactions tell us about Bitcoin’s performance in the weeks following the Binance breach?
Crypto Hack Losses in 2026 vs. 2025: What Changed?
The biggest difference between the two years comes down to the scale of a single attack.
Through September, 2026 had recorded approximately $2.24 billion in stolen crypto assets, below the $2.48 billion reported over the same period in 2025. That changed dramatically on October 29, when hackers drained $6.36 billion from Binance across ten blockchains in a single night. The amount exceeded the combined losses from all reported crypto hacks in 2025.
Both years also share a common suspected attacker. The FBI attributed the $1.4 billion Bybit exploit on February 21, 2025, to North Korea’s TraderTraitor group. Chainalysis has now linked the Binance incident to the same hacking unit.
The largest crypto exploits recorded in each year include:
2026:
- Binance: $6.36 billion (October 29)
- Bitget: $387 million (September 24)
- Liquid Network: $320 million (September 6)
- Drift: $295 million (April 1)
- Kelp: $293 million (April 18)
2025:
- Bybit: $1.4 billion (February 21)
- Cetus: $223 million (May 22)
- Balancer: $128 million (November 3)
- Bitget: $100 million (April 20)
- Phemex: $85 million (January 23)
The broader hacking landscape in 2026 also differs considerably from the previous year. Attackers carried out 325 incidents through October, nearly three times the 120 recorded during the corresponding period in 2025. Five exploits in 2026 generated losses exceeding $290 million each, compared with just one incident of that scale in 2025.
Outside the Binance breach, compromised private keys and cross-chain bridge vulnerabilities accounted for much of the damage.
However, the headline loss figures do not necessarily represent the amount permanently stolen. CertiK’s October report identified approximately $3.03 billion in assets that were frozen or recovered, largely involving funds associated with the Binance incident that were intercepted on-chain. After accounting for these recoveries, adjusted losses for the month stood near $3.47 billion.
Different blockchain security trackers also report varying annual totals. CertiK estimates gross hacking losses at $9.2 billion for 2026 and $3.35 billion for 2025. DefiLlama, meanwhile, reports $8.74 billion and $2.72 billion, respectively.
DISCOVER: Binance Hacker Holds $1.4 Billion in Bitcoin, Nearly Three Times a Week of ETF Purchases
How Did Bitcoin and Ethereum React After Major Crypto Hacks?
Bitcoin and Ether generally experienced relatively limited immediate reactions to major exploits, while their performance over the following month was more closely connected to overall market conditions.
The comparison examines the price movements of both cryptocurrencies against their closing prices one day before each of the ten largest hacks recorded since 2025.
Bitcoin’s initial reaction was relatively modest. BTC declined on seven of the ten attack dates, recording an average loss of 2.2% across those sessions. Binance’s 4.1% decline represented the steepest daily drop, while the Cetus exploit occurred on a day when Bitcoin gained 1.9%.
The 30-day performance largely reflected broader market conditions. All three major 2025 hacks were followed by Bitcoin declines ranging from 6.9% to 15.5% over the next month. In comparison, four of the six 2026 incidents with complete monthly data were followed by gains, with the strongest increase reaching 19.9% after the Coldcard incident.
Assets directly associated with an exploit often suffered greater losses. Ether dropped 26.7% during the month following the Bybit hack, where most of the stolen assets consisted of ETH. Similarly, SUI declined 34.6% after the Cetus exploit, which targeted the largest decentralized exchange operating on the Sui network.
The Bybit incident offers the closest historical comparison with Binance because both involved exchange-related thefts attributed to North Korean hackers, with losses exceeding $1 billion.
Following the Bybit breach, Bitcoin declined 14.2% within seven days. Concerns surrounding U.S. trade tariffs also weighed on financial markets during that period. BTC remained 12.4% below its pre-hack level one month later.
Bitcoin’s reaction to the Binance incident has been less severe so far. Comparing the October 28 closing price with Monday’s levels shows the following changes:
- Bitcoin: Down 4.3%
- Ethereum: Down 3.2%
- BNB: Down 7.2%, making it the weakest-performing major asset after falling 8.1% on the hack date.
- Solana: Down 8.4%
BTC Price Analysis: Is Bitcoin Following the Bybit Pattern or the 2026 Trend?
Bitcoin has not clearly followed either historical pattern yet.
BTC was trading around $77,870 on Binance, showing little change on the day. The cryptocurrency had also remained above its October 30 low of $76,326 for three consecutive days, with its price hovering close to the 200-day exponential moving average (EMA) at $76,512.
The post-Bybit market reaction provides a bearish comparison, as Bitcoin lost its support level within a week of that exploit. However, most major hacking incidents recorded in 2026 were followed by higher BTC prices one month later.
The current technical setup places the 200-day EMA below Bitcoin’s price as an important support reference, while the 50-day EMA at $80,293 represents an overhead resistance level.
Key Bitcoin price levels to watch:
- Resistance: $78,878, representing Monday’s high, followed by the 50-day EMA at $80,293 and the October 29 pre-hack high of $81,971.
- Support: The 200-day EMA at $76,512 and the October 30 post-hack low of $76,326. A deeper decline could bring the September 15 low of $74,968 into focus.
Bitcoin’s next move around these technical levels could help determine whether the Binance exploit develops into a prolonged bearish catalyst similar to Bybit or follows the more resilient recovery pattern observed after several major hacks in 2026.
