CertiK: Q3 crypto heists cross $1B as Bitget's $388M oopsie leads the leaderboard 💸

Crypto security losses climbed to $1.26 billion in the third quarter of 2026, a 53.9% jump from $819.4 million in Q2, according to blockchain security firm CertiK. The number of tracked incidents rose roughly 13%, from 219 to 247. A single event, the $387.5 million hack of crypto exchange Bitget, accounted for about 31% of the quarter's losses and ranked as the largest recorded incident under CertiK's methodology.

Liquid Network's $319 million exploit on Sept. 6 placed second, followed by Tectonic at $120 million and the $112.7 million Coldcard theft. The September tally alone reached approximately $769 million across 99 incidents; about $273 million of that was frozen or returned, leaving adjusted losses of $495.3 million. Across 58 incidents, exploits made up $734 million, or nearly 96% of the month's losses.

Bitget said it detected unauthorized transfers from some of its hot wallets on Sept. 24 and suspended withdrawals. The exchange stated that attackers exploited a vulnerability in a third-party security product to obtain internal credentials and forge withdrawal commands. Blockchain security researcher SlowMist has separately traced hack-related activity to a zero-day exploit dated Aug. 31.