AI-armed attackers deepen crypto's 2026 hacking crisis

Episode 26 of The Starting Block was broadcasted live with The Block's Head of Multimedia Gareth Jenkinson and Blockaid Co-Founder & CEO Ido Ben-Natan.

Blockaid Co-Founder & CEO Ido Ben-Natan joins Gareth Jenkinson on The Starting Block to discuss the record-breaking surge in crypto hack incidents in 2026, how AI is supercharging attackers and shifting the primary vector from smart contract exploits to operational security breaches, and the lessons that can be gleaned from the Coldcard exploit.

Outline

00:04 - Week in Review
01:22 - Block Briefing: Clarity Act Delay
02:09 - Coinbase Prediction Markets Ruling
02:49 - Wintermute Broker-Dealer Move
03:33 - Miners' Tough Quarter
04:17 - Trump Crypto Divestiture Twist
05:39 - Ido Ben-Natan Hot Seat
06:07 - H1 2026 Hack Report
07:58 - DPRK Hackers Dominate
10:30 - AI as Attack Vector
16:56 - Coldcard Exploit Fallout
22:17 - Crypto vs. TradFi Targeting

Guest links:
Ido Ben-Natan - https://x.com/idobn
Blockaid - https://x.com/blockaid_

Host links:
Gareth Jenkinson - https://x.com/gazza_jenks
The Block - https://x.com/TheBlockCo
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