AI-driven crypto hacks don dey surge: CertiK flag 2026 cross-chain gaps

Crypto security firm CertiK tok say 2026 crypto hacks dey quicken, total loss don pass $600 million already. Dem link plenty of di damage to North Korea-related activity and to weakness for both infrastructure and social engineering. For April, two big incidents cause heavy loss: $293 million Kelp DAO breach wey relate to LayerZero cross-chain messaging infrastructure failure, and about $280 million Drift Protocol hack. CertiK talk say attackers exploit “trust assumptions,” show say cross-chain security flaws dey become main driver of crypto hacks. CertiK investigator Natalie Newson warn say AI dey raise both attack speed and stealth. Threat actors dey use AI-powered phishing, deepfakes, supply-chain compromises, and automated exploit tooling more and more. She also highlight “agentic AI,” wey fit scan smart contracts, draft exploit code, and run attacks at machine speed. Zerion report separately say on April 15 North Korea-linked long-term social-engineering campaign con steal about $100,000 from hot wallets. For traders, dis one raise short-term risk around cross-chain and DeFi assets and fit increase volatility after big breach headlines. Watch LayerZero- and Drift-adjacent security alerts, exchange/bridge exposure, and any new incident disclosures wey link to cross-chain messaging.