CertiK Intel3D: H1 2026 Wrench Attacks Report Reveals 33% Surge in Physical Crypto Crime, Estimated Losses Top $124 Million
NEW YORK, July 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CertiK recently released its Intel3D: H1 2026 Wrench Attacks Report, revealing that physical coercion against crypto holders intensified in the first half of 2026. CertiK recorded 52 verified wrench attacks globally, up from 39 in H1 2025, with recorded financial exposure reaching an estimated $124.1 million. The findings confirm that wrench attacks are a structural threat facing crypto holders, founders, and institutions worldwide.
Losses Escalate Even Faster Than Incident Volume
Average recorded exposure per incident rose from approximately $270,000 in H1 2025 to $2.39 million in H1 2026. These figures include ransom demands, forced transfers, and frozen or recovered assets rather than confirmed criminal profits, but they point to attackers pursuing fewer, higher-value targets.
Attacks Across Europe
Europe accounted for 39 of 52 verified incidents in H1 2026, or 79.6% of the global total. France recorded 33 incidents, representing 63.5% of all verified cases worldwide and 84.6% of European incidents. CertiK's report notes that France's visible crypto ecosystem, combined with major data breaches such as the ANTS and France Travail incidents, likely contributed to this.
Home Invasion Emerges as the Defining Tactic
The most significant shift in H1 2026 was the rise of home invasion, which grew from a single recorded incident in H1 2025 to 20 in H1 2026. Kidnapping remained a persistent threat, rising from 12 to 16 incidents, while torture (4) and murder (1) held steady year-over-year.
Rethinking Custody Under Duress
CertiK's report emphasizes that traditional custody advice, hardware wallets and offline seed phrases, is no longer sufficient. It recommends multi-signature and MPC setups, withdrawal delays, staged vault architecture, and family preparedness protocols as essential safeguards against coercion-based attacks.
Media contact
Elisa Yiting Xu
yiting.xu@certik.com
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