The success rate was cut but $30 million was stolen

According to Woofun AI, the latest report released by Chainalysis revealed the serious trend of violent cryptographic predatory attacks in the first half of 2026. Criminals stole funds through physical attacks against holders, making the total amount of thefts expected to break the record of 58 million US dollars set in 2025.

According to data compiled by Woofun AI, as of the end of June, 46 such incidents had been recorded worldwide, up from 40 in the same period in 2025, covering kidnappings, burglary and hostage-taking. Although the attackers' success rate fell to 26% from 49% in 2025 (only 12 out of 46 attempts were ransomed), the report released on Thursday indicated that the actual scale was underestimated due to the large number of unreported attacks. Criminal planning is characterized by specialization. Attackers use data breaches, social media, or internal information to target targets, and then lower-skilled gangs carry out violence.

It is worth noting that France became the hardest hit area, recording 30 cases by mid-year, far exceeding the 19 cases in 2025; according to the authorities, there may be more than 70 actual cases. In July, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez revealed that there were 77 incidents of kidnapping, extortion, or attempted extortion in the first half of the year, compared to 45 in 2025.

The underlying cause is the alleged misuse of French tax records, the theft and sale of investor information by a French tax official, and the data breach from cryptocurrency tax reporting company Waltio, which revealed data from about 50,000 users, directly fueled the surge in cases. To this end, the French government introduced a rapid warning and protection system and promised to strengthen intelligence sharing.

Looking at the flow of funds, on-chain activity is fragmented: some attackers transfer funds directly to centralized exchanges, while others use cross-chain bridges, decentralized exchanges, and money laundering services to conceal traces. Chainalysis points out that behind the most complex cases, larger criminal networks are often linked, showing the deep involvement of organized crime.