The decentralized finance sector has suffered at least $328.6 million in losses from bridge-related exploits in 2026, according to blockchain security data shared by PeckShield.
The attacks span eight major incidents involving cross-chain protocols, with the largest breach linked to KelpDAO and LayerZero, accounting for approximately $292 million in losses alone.
The growing wave of exploits has intensified concerns around the security of cross-chain infrastructure, which remains one of the most vulnerable areas in the crypto ecosystem.
Following the KelpDAO exploit, total value locked (TVL) across DeFi protocols reportedly declined from nearly $100 billion to around $86 billion, reflecting weakening investor confidence and capital outflows from decentralized finance platforms.
Security researchers continue to warn that bridge protocols remain prime targets for attackers due to their complex smart contract architecture and concentration of locked liquidity.