Crypto
Home›Crypto›Regulation›Home invasions surge as the leading crypto wrench atta…
Home invasions surge as the leading crypto wrench attack in H1 2026
Blockchain security firm CertiK verified 52 wrench attacks worldwide in the first half of 2026, with recorded financial exposure near $124.1 million.
Crypto home invasions became the most common form of so called wrench attacks in the first half of 2026, rising to 20 incidents from one a year earlier, according to blockchain security firm CertiK.
Cointelegraph reports that CertiK verified 52 wrench attacks globally in H1 2026, up 33.3% from 39 incidents in the same period of 2025. CertiK said recorded financial exposure tied to the attacks reached about $124.1 million, up from $10.5 million a year earlier, and may include factors beyond confirmed theft such as ransom demands and asset freezes or recoveries.
CertiK also reported that kidnappings increased to 16 from 12, while robberies fell from five incidents to one. Europe accounted for 39 of the 52 verified incidents, and France alone contributed 33, nearly two thirds of the global total.
Cointelegraph adds that France saw 77 crypto linked kidnappings, extortion cases, or attempted extortion cases during the first half of 2026, up from 45 across all of 2025, according to French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. In response, French authorities launched a dedicated prevention platform and rapid alert system, which Nuñez said led to 200 arrests.