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The Rising Tide of Cyber Threats in 2026: How AI Is Reshaping Crypto Security and Beyond

The year 2026 has cemented its place in history as the worst year on record for cryptocurrency security, and remarkably, we are only halfway through. The first quarter alone witnessed approximately $450 million drained from DeFi protocols across 145 separate incidents, while in the first 18 days of April, another $66 million vanished without trace. This relentless wave of attacks has severely impacted the sector's overall health, with total value locked (TVL) plunging from a high of $110 billion in January to roughly $82 billion today, marking a fresh low for the entire ecosystem.