Quick answer
The biggest crypto hack on record is the October 2026 Binance hot wallet hack. Binance puts it at about $6.3B; StalkChain's database lists $5.78B. The next largest is Bybit in February 2025 at $1.4B, then the Ronin Bridge ($624M), Poly Network ($611M) and the BNB Bridge ($570M). Five of the top ten hit centralized exchanges.
The top 10
From StalkChain's hack database, which records 1,330 exploits and rug pulls. Amounts are in US dollars at the time of the hack.
| # | Hack | Year | Stolen | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Binance | 2026 | $5.78B | Hot wallet signing compromised (EIP-7702) |
| 2 | Bybit | 2025 | $1.40B | Signers phished into approving a malicious transaction |
| 3 | Ronin Bridge | 2022 | $624M | Validator keys compromised |
| 4 | Poly Network | 2021 | $611M | Improper access control (funds later returned) |
| 5 | BNB Bridge | 2022 | $570M | Proof verifier bug |
| 6 | Coincheck | 2018 | $534M | Hot wallet key compromised |
| 7 | FTX | 2022 | $450M | Phishing, during the exchange's collapse |
| 8 | Bitget | 2026 | $387M | Hot wallet key compromised |
| 9 | Liquid Network | 2026 | $320M | Unbacked cross-chain mint |
| 10 | DMM Bitcoin | 2024 | $305M | Phishing |
Some older incidents aren't in the database, and estimates vary between sources. Bybit is often reported at $1.5B. The Binance figure is still moving. On October 30, Binance put the total impact at about $6.3B, which is what we use in our live coverage. The table keeps the database figure so every row is measured the same way.
How big is the Binance hack?
More than four times Bybit, the previous record. It's also larger than the next eight hacks on this list combined.
The size comes from where the money was. Binance 14 was one of the largest hot wallets in crypto, holding dozens of tokens at once. The attacker's drain contract swept 63 of them in one transaction. See EIP-7702 explained for how.
It may also end up costing less than its headline. Binance says about $3B is frozen, most of it in stablecoins. Bybit's haul was mostly ETH, which can't be frozen. See can USDT and USDC be frozen?.
What the list says about where hacks happen
Exchanges are the biggest targets. Binance, Bybit, Coincheck, FTX, Bitget and DMM are all centralized exchanges. Hot wallets hold large balances that must stay online to process withdrawals.
The keys, not the code. Most of the top ten didn't break a smart contract. They got control of keys or signatures: stolen keys, phished signers, compromised validators. The three biggest exchange hacks of 2025–2026 (Bybit, Bitget, Binance) all went after the signing process.
Bridges were the 2021–2022 story. Ronin, Poly Network and the BNB Bridge show the era when cross-chain bridges were the weak point. They've dropped down the list as exchange attacks grew.
North Korea looms over the list. The FBI attributed Ronin and Bybit to North Korea's Lazarus Group, and Bitget was attributed to Lazarus too. Whether Binance joins them is still open: see was the Binance hack North Korea?.
To follow the Binance case as it develops, read the live timeline.