Report: Crypto Holders Lose $30M as Wrench Attacks Spiral Worldwide

Criminals stole more than $30 million from cryptocurrency holders through violence in the first half of 2026, blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis reported on Thursday, putting the year on pace to break 2025’s record of $58 million.

The crimes fall under a category security researchers call “wrench attacks.” The term comes from an old internet joke about hacking: no matter how strong a password is, a criminal can bypass it with a five-dollar wrench and a physical threat. In practice, that means home invasions, kidnappings, and hostage situations aimed at people who hold crypto assets.

Chainalysis traced the jump in attacks in France to a data breach. A French tax official is accused of stealing and selling files on wealthy crypto holders that included names, addresses, phone numbers, and account holdings. Criminal groups are believed to have bought that information and used it to plan attacks. A second breach, disclosed by crypto tax firm Waltio in January, exposed roughly 50,000 more user records.

Not every attempt succeeds. Chainalysis reported that only 26% of violent theft attempts through late June resulted in a payout, down from 49% in 2025 and 67% in 2024. The report’s researchers linked the falling success rate directly to France, writing that the country’s attacks are “more numerous, more indiscriminate” and less often successful than the targeted attacks common in prior years.

The nature of the attacks is also changing worldwide. Home invasions made up 37% of documented incidents in 2026, up from 26% in 2023. Kidnappings grew too, from 39% of cases in 2023 to 52% now. Attackers have also started going after family members and associates instead of the crypto holder directly. Chainalysis found that tactic showed up in roughly a quarter to a third of cases globally, but in more than 40% of cases in France alone.

French authorities are treating the wave as organized crime. The country’s specialized anti-organized-crime unit, known as JUNALCO, has made around 200 arrests and filed 88 indictments tied to crypto-related attacks, with 75 suspects held in pretrial detention.

Chainalysis explained in the latest crime analysis that the risk mostly falls on local residents rather than tourists. In France, 93% of victims with known residency were locals, a pattern researchers said points to careful planning by attackers, whether through leaked data, social media, or blockchain tracking.

For crypto holders, the report’s advice is straightforward. Avoid publicizing large holdings, keep custody arrangements private, and treat any data breach involving personal information as a security risk, not just a privacy one.