AI Models Ignite Crypto 'Vulnerability Apocalypse' — $634M Stolen in April
By John Nada·Jun 11, 2026·2 min read
AI models have fueled a 'vulnerability apocalypse' in crypto, leading to $634M in hacks in April alone, says Immunefi's CEO.
“A vulnerability apocalypse.” That’s how Mitchell Amador, the CEO of bug bounty platform Immunefi, described the current state of crypto security due to new AI models. Speaking at the WAIB Summit in Monaco, Amador pointed the finger at advanced AI like Claude Opus 4.8 and ChatGPT 5.5. These technologies, he says, have tilted the field towards attackers, sparking a resurgence in decentralized finance (DeFi) hacks. The numbers back him up: in April 2026 alone, hackers made off with over $634 million from crypto platforms. This represents the highest monthly total since a Bybit hack in February 2025, according to DefiLlama data.
The industry isn't in a holding pattern, though. Amador sees a silver lining, predicting that the crypto sector could fortify itself within three to four years—or even sooner if it adopts crowdsourced security solutions. "Impregnable" codebases could emerge when cybersecurity teams harness AI defensively.
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The stakes rose further when Anthropic released its latest AI model, Claude Mythos, dubbed Fable 5. The model raised eyebrows for its potential to accelerate crypto exploits, prompting Anthropic to add safeguards redirecting cybersecurity topics to Claude Opus 4.8.
April's security breaches have left a mark. The Kelp DAO hack is a grim reminder of the vulnerability. An attacker siphoned off approximately 116,500 restaked Ether from Kelp DAO's LayerZero-powered rsETH bridge. The issue? A single point of failure in its decentralized verifier network (DVN), which relied on a lone verifier path for cross-chain messages. LayerZero had cautioned against this configuration, but the warning went unheeded.
The recent string of exploits has nudged the industry into heightened alertness. As Amador and others emphasize the potential of AI-driven cybersecurity, the clock is ticking. Whether this new wave of AI will be a boon or bane for crypto remains to be seen. The market, for now, holds its breath.