September became the worst month of 2026 for crypto security losses, with more than $766.49 million stolen across a wide range of attacks. The total was driven primarily by two outsized incidents: a $387.5 million exploit affecting Bitget and a $320 million hack on Liquid Network, although roughly $285 million tied to the Liquid case was later returned.

The month also marked the high point of the third quarter for crypto hacks. Based on the reported figures, September alone exceeded the total losses seen in April and pushed quarterly losses to about $1.2 billion across 247 exploits, a 53% increase from Q2.

Two incidents dominated the month

The largest single loss in September came from the Bitget exploit, which accounted for $387.5 million of the month’s total. The second major case was the attack on Liquid Network, where about $320 million was taken before most of the funds, around $285 million, were returned.

Those two cases moved ahead of earlier 2026 incidents involving Drift Protocol, KelpDAO, and LayerZero, making Bitget and Liquid Network the biggest reported exploits of the year so far in the source material. Their scale also sharply distorted the monthly total compared with the rest of the attacks recorded in September.

A broad mix of targets and methods

Beyond the two headline exploits, September’s hacks were spread across wallets, bridges, and other Web3 applications. The source describes losses in several additional incidents ranging from roughly $3 million to $7 million, showing that the month was not defined only by one-off mega-breaches but also by repeated mid-sized attacks.

Attack techniques also varied. Reported methods included social engineering and logic exploits aimed at places where liquidity was concentrated, reflecting how attackers pursued access points with larger pools of capital as Web3 activity expanded.

99 incidents made September the busiest month of Q3

Security researchers counted 99 incidents during the month, making September the peak period of the quarter. Across Q3 as a whole, total hack-related losses reached around $1.2 billion from 247 exploits.

The concentration of losses in September was especially notable because the month’s thefts alone surpassed the total reported for April. That comparison underscores how quickly a handful of large breaches can reshape quarterly security figures in crypto.

Ethereum and BNB Chain remained frequent targets

The source says Ethereum and BNB Smart Chain continued to be the most attacked networks overall. At the same time, some incidents reached smaller or more specialized ecosystems, including the Liquid Layer-2 network, indicating that attackers were not limited to the largest chains.

One notable episode involved an attack on a Gnosis Safe that was front-run by the Yoink bot. In that case, the funds were later returned, adding to a month in which some of the largest incidents still had partially reversible outcomes even after major losses were initially recorded.

Wider security trends heading into the next quarter

The article also points to a broader shift in 2026 toward attacks on private individuals in Europe. It cites 39 such incidents in the first half of 2026, up from 14 during the same period in 2025.

For now, the confirmed picture is that September closed as the most damaging month of the year for crypto hacks by reported value, led by Bitget and Liquid Network. The next clear benchmark will be whether the fourth quarter continues the elevated pace seen in Q3 or whether the September spike proves to be an outlier driven by a small number of very large exploits.

Source: Cryptopolitan