Dragonfly partner Haseeb said DeFi has not entered the “hacker endgame” feared by some critics, even as newer AI models such as GLM 5.2, Fable, and GPT 5.6 are already live and have been used by attackers in practice. Responding on X to earlier comments from OpenZeppelin co-founder Manuel Aráoz, Haseeb pointed to chart data showing that, based on year-to-date figures and the current run rate, annualized DeFi losses for 2026 would be about $1.89 billion, while cumulative losses so far this year stand at roughly $986 million. He said that total remains below 2025 levels and still sits within the historical range. Haseeb added that the deeper shift is not a sharp deterioration in overall safety, but a change in attack patterns: the number of hacks has risen, while the size of each attack has fallen faster. In his view, attackers are increasingly going after smaller protocols and abandoned projects, while larger protocols have added more security hardening, leaving overall fund safety without a clear worsening trend.
Dragonfly partner Haseeb responded on X to an earlier pessimistic view on DeFi security from OpenZeppelin co-founder Manuel Aráoz, saying DeFi has not seen the expected “hacker endgame,” even though models such as GLM 5.2, Fable, and GPT 5.6 are already live and have been used by attackers in practice.
Annualized 2026 losses estimated at $1.89 billion
According to chart data cited by Haseeb, annualized DeFi losses in 2026 would be about $1.89 billion based on year-to-date figures and the current pace. Cumulative losses this year are about $986 million, which he said is below 2025 levels and still within the historical range.
More attacks, but smaller damage per incident
Haseeb said the deeper change is that while the number of hacks has increased, the size of each attack has fallen faster. He said attackers are focusing more on smaller protocols and abandoned projects, while larger protocols have already completed more security hardening. In his view, overall fund safety has not clearly deteriorated.
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