Perspective: AI has not triggered DeFi’s "hacker apocalypse"—overall attack losses have declined this year.

Dragonfly Managing Partner Haseeb Qureshi stated that earlier market fears of an AI-driven DeFi "hacker apocalypse" have not materialized. Data shows that while the number of hacking incidents hit a new high in 2026, the median loss per attack has fallen below $500,000, down from over $2 million in 2025. Qureshi argues that AI-enabled attackers are currently targeting mostly small protocols with weak security, while large DeFi protocols have gradually beefed up their defenses. Excluding the 2025 Bybit hack and major attacks like those on KelpDAO and Drift Protocol in 2026, the average monthly stolen funds this year remain lower than last year. However, blockchain security firm CertiK noted that the crypto industry’s hacking-related losses in the first half of 2026 fell 46.8% year-over-year to $1.32 billion, a drop that does not reflect a significant improvement in industry security. CertiK explained that last year’s figures were heavily skewed by the $1.4 billion Bybit breach, while over 70% of Q2 2026 losses still stemmed from attacks on KelpDAO and Drift Protocol—incidents widely attributed to North Korean hacking groups.