Crypto hacks have become a sad reality for the crypto sector, with the first five months of 2026 recording a massive loss of nearly $1 billion so far.
As the industry grapples with reality, the market has faced exceeding noise on the potential reasons for the rise. In an exclusive conversation with The Coin Headlines, Bitunix executives shed light on how crypto hacks are rising, further listing down ways in which users can protect themselves.
The exchange says that the rise in crypto exploits is fueled by increasingly sophisticated AI-driven attacks and phishing campaigns. That coupled with the surge in persistent security gaps across the digital asset industry has significantly hurt the sector.
As crypto usage around the world picks up pace, exchanges, DeFi protocols, cross-chain bridges, and even individual wallets are increasingly seen as bigger and more lucrative targets by organized cybercrime gangs.
However, as the industry rapidly grows, the need for sustainable security infrastructure is not keeping up.
Bitunix warns smarter hacks are intensifying security risks
Bitunix says the combination of rising capital inflows and increasingly advanced attack methods is creating a far more challenging security environment than in previous years.
The company noted that many crypto firms continue prioritizing growth, product launches and user acquisition ahead of robust security architecture, exposing weaknesses that attackers are quick to exploit.
The exchange quotes, “Many projects continue prioritizing rapid growth and product launches over robust security infrastructure, leaving vulnerabilities in smart contracts, API systems, and internal operational processes.”
Artificial intelligence is also beginning to reshape the threat landscape. Bitunix has warned that AI tools are helping hackers automate parts of the attack process, from vulnerability discovery and exploit simulation to phishing message generation and reconnaissance.
AI-generated phishing emails, fake customer support accounts, fraudulent recruiter outreach and even deepfake voice or video impersonations are becoming increasingly convincing and scalable.
The exchange described future risks as “AI-driven compound attacks,” where attackers combine multiple smaller vulnerabilities into larger exploit chains. Rather than focusing on a single weak point, hackers can now use AI systems to rapidly analyze smart contracts, backend services, APIs, cloud infrastructure and wallet systems simultaneously to uncover attack paths that may previously have taken weeks or months to identify manually.
On being asked what the exchange would do if they were to face an exploit, they said “In the event of a major security incident, the core goal in the first hour is to stop the bleeding quickly, contain the blast radius, and protect user assets.”
Crypto stands at a two faced edge
Bitunix thinks that the crypto space is now dealing with two issues at once, namely that of platform scalability happening much faster than its security solutions are maturing, and that of cybercrime syndicates becoming increasingly technologically savvy.
Their combination, according to Bitunix, is leading to the rise in hacks being seen in the world of both centralized and decentralized crypto spaces.
In order to protect itself, Bitunix has embraced a multi-layered security approach featuring top-tier custody and risk monitoring services. Its chosen infrastructural partners include Fireblocks and Cobo, with proof-of-reserves with 1:1 reserve rate and enhanced AML services from Elliptic.
The company also emphasized the significance of security from the user’s side. According to Bitunix, phishing attacks and account hacking have become some of the major reasons behind financial losses associated with cryptocurrencies, even outstripping hacks to platforms themselves.
Attackers are trying to get into their victims’ accounts via fake exchanges and support services, as well as malicious extensions for browsers and hacked two-factor authentications.
Hence, the exchange believes that ensuring security cannot be based on infrastructure alone anymore, since security measures like abnormal logins, withdrawal cooling down, device recognition, anti-phishing codes and whitelisted addresses have become more important than ever.
The platform comments that users should“Upgrade to phishing-resistant 2FA (such as Passkeys or hardware security keys) and stay vigilant against man-in-the-middle attacks.”
Crypto platforms to also incorporate stricter measures
With the advancement in the sector, regulators are most likely to tighten cybersecurity standards across the crypto sector as attacks continue rising.
According to the firm, regulatory agencies have begun to evolve from simple compliance-based supervision towards more resilient operations-oriented supervision, enhanced custody protection, penetration tests, and constant risk monitoring.
As Bitunix looks to the future, the exchange feels that the future of cryptocurrency security will be determined not by fixing vulnerabilities, but by how swiftly platforms can identify and mitigate attacks amid an accelerating rate of artificial intelligence-powered cyber threats.