Security firm CertiK published a report detailing 97 hacking incidents throughout September 2026, totaling $768.4 million in losses. CertiK’s figures align with findings from PeckShield, which tracked 55 major incidents with stolen funds reaching $766.5 million. Both analytics firms agreed that the flurry of attacks during the ninth month marked a significant spike in losses compared to August.
Two security exploits accounted for the vast majority of the stolen funds in September. The breach of crypto exchange Bitget took the top spot, with $388 million drained. The single breach at Bitget accounted for half of the monthly cumulative losses. Analytics firm SlowMist revealed that the Bitget compromise stemmed from a zero-day exploit executed by hackers starting on August 31.
Liquid Network Exploit
The attack targeting the Liquid Network protocol ranked second, with initial losses reaching $320 million. Liquid’s case saw a different outcome compared to the Bitget incident, as the hacker returned $270 million of the stolen funds shortly after the initial exploit. Although hundreds of millions of dollars were ultimately recovered, Liquid Network’s initial exploit still cemented the scale of crypto industry breaches last month.
Fast-Moving Threat Landscape in 2026
Observing the series of consecutive incidents, CertiK’s report emphasized that September served as a stark reminder of how quickly the threat landscape for crypto security infrastructure can shift and breach existing defenses.
From January through the close of September 2026, the digital asset ecosystem suffered 656 hacking incidents. Cumulative losses from these hundreds of incidents have now reached an absolute total of $2.68 billion.
For exchange operators and investors alike, the cumulative loss of $2.68 billion proves that network security comes with no permanent guarantee. Even the most robust defense systems can be fully compromised when an external party discovers a single vulnerability that was not patched in time.
Via Cointelegraph.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only, not financial advice. Cryptocurrency assets are highly volatile and carry significant risk. Always do your own research (DYOR) and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
