Overview
- CertiK's H1 2026 report, published July 22–23, verified 52 physical “wrench” attacks worldwide and recorded $124.1 million in related exposure, a large jump from about $10.5 million in H1 2025.
- Most incidents were in Europe with France the hotspot, where CertiK logged 33 cases and French police data cited 41 incidents between January and March.
- Home invasions surged from one case in H1 2025 to 20 in H1 2026, and kidnappings rose as attackers shifted to coercing victims in person to reveal keys, unlock devices, or transfer funds.
- Authorities and companies have stepped up responses, with French prosecutors charging dozens of suspects and crypto firms boosting executive protection and security budgets after high-profile targeting of founders and executives.
- CertiK calls its $124.1 million figure indicative rather than exhaustive and recommends practical defenses such as multi‑signature controls, separating signing devices from recovery materials, limiting public links between identity and holdings, and family emergency plans.