Crypto ‘Wrench Attacks’ Cost Victims $124M in Six Months, Up 12x: CertiK

Violent, real-life threats to crypto holders are on the rise, and the money at stake has risen, according to new data. report from blockchain security company CertiK.

The company confirmed 52 “wrench attacks” – cases in which criminals use violence or threats to force victims to hand over crypto – in the first half of 2026, a third from 39 a year ago. Financial exposure increased by approximately 12 to $ 124.1 million, from $ 10.5 million in H1 2025, raising the number of recordings per event from $ 270,000 to $ 2.39 million.

CertiK warned that the figures are based on demands for ransom and frozen or returned goods, not just to confirm that they have been stolen, and that under-reporting remains dangerous because victims fear reprisals or damage to their reputation.

A “significant change,” the report said, is the increase in domestic violence. From one case reported publicly in H1 2025, the breach has risen to 20 in the first half of 2026, about 41% of all cases, as the attackers began to look at the whole area of ​​the victim’s security: their home, their family, and their ability to remain silent when pressured. Robberies remained high, rising from 12 to 16 cases, while one murder was recorded each time.

Crypto wrench is attacking the world

Geographically, this threat has become a Western European problem. Europe accounted for 75% of confirmed cases, and France alone accounted for 33 – about 64% of the global risk. CertiK links France’s popularity to its large, transparent crypto and data breach profile, including France works and Ants events, that the attackers hand prepared made a list of targets.

CertiK also described a multi-layered, multi-layered technology, with developers buying information and connecting devices on top of disposable, often young users enrolled in messaging apps. Operators now collect “tracked packets” from leaked databases, exchange records, and on-chain transactions, enabling data reduction, the company argues, as a measure of physical security.

Also I am updating the safety instructions. A hardware wallet or hidden seed words It offers little protection, CertiK said, if owners can be pressured to open it—pushing the company to create more signatures, delay removal, and “forced” family protocols.

The report shows how the increase is accelerating, with wrench attacks continuing to rise year on year. CertiK is already written 72 attacks in 2025 in totala 75% jump over 2024, a year in which its worst case scenario was the theft of January. Ledger co-founder David Balland and his wife in France, and their captors cut off one of Balland’s fingers to force a multi-million dollar ransom before the police released them.

Family orientation has been a hallmark of the French wave. In February, adults six were arrestedincluding a young child, after a judge and his mother were kidnapped while trying to redeem crypto-currency. A few months later, two young people were accused of trying to do so take a wife of The Sandbox co-founder Sébastien Borget outside Paris was using a fake gun and restraints, until neighbors intervened and forced them to flee.

The scale has received a great response. By April, the French authorities had finished prosecuted 88 people– more than 10 of them young – in 12 investigations, by French ministers to swear to deal with this issue and measures to protect crypto holders, including visits to the homes of officials.