AI Agents Tested to Prevent $3.4B Crypto Hacks

TheNewsCryptoPublished on 2026-02-19Last updated on 2026-02-19

Abstract

In 2025, the crypto industry suffered significant breaches, with three major incidents accounting for 70% of total thefts, including a $1.4 billion hack on Bybit. To combat vulnerabilities, OpenAI is testing AI agents in collaboration with Paradigm and OtterSec using EVMbench. These AI systems aim to detect and fix smart contract flaws more efficiently than human auditors, addressing the $3.4 billion lost to hackers in 2025. While AI agents excel at identifying vulnerabilities, concerns remain about potential misuse by attackers. Industry leaders suggest AI and crypto could become increasingly intertwined, with stablecoins and crypto payments playing key roles in future AI-driven systems.

In 2025, the crypto industry witnessed some massive breaches, with just three major incidents being responsible for around 70% of the overall money theft. It is noteworthy that the biggest hack is said to be the Bybit exchange hack, which alone swept around $1.4 billion.

For a solution, OpenAI is testing if AI agents can detect vulnerabilities in real blockchain spaces, working with Paradigm and OtterSec, using its EVMbench. Any bug associated with smart contract code will impact the money of big and small investors, as these automated programmes look after over $100 billion in open-source digital assets.

In 2025, hackers swept up around $3.4 billion from crypto platforms, and developers can now just feel how vulnerable the system is when hackers exploit weak code. Depending on human audits will not help anymore as live contracts face new and evolving attacks, and also, it takes a lot of time and costs.

Instead, AI agents can complete the same work in less time, so frameworks such as EVMbench are used by OpenAI. EVMbench leverages AI agents in test environments to aid developers in understanding how smart contracts may work under real-world pressure before the real deployment.

AI Agents are Performing Better

Primarily, the agents will find hidden vulnerabilities in code, fix the issue without breaking the function of the contract, and then attempt to exploit the weakness to drain funds if the problem still exists.

As per the prior results, AI agents are performing better at detecting vulnerabilities instead of fixing them safely. People are now worried that attackers could misuse AI-powered tools to detect weaknesses in blockchain systems more skilfully than ever.

Jermy Allaire, an American technologist, revealed that a lot of AI agents will leverage stablecoins to trade over blockchain networks. Changpeng Zhao, the founder and ex-CEO of Binance, also revealed that crypto could be the native payment layer for AI-driven systems in the future.

If this happens, then it will benefit both the users and the attackers as soon as they interact with contracts directly in real financial environments where actual money is at stake.

Highlighted Crypto News Today:

Hyperliquid Launches DeFi Lobby in Washington

TagsAIHackOpenAI

Trending Cryptos

ctr
CitreaCTR
wstusdt
wrapped stUSDTWSTUSDT
apr
aPrioriAPR
ctx
Cryptex FinanceCTX
audio
AudiusAUDIO
comp
CompoundCOMP
mantra
MantraMANTRA
waxl
AxelarWAXL
bill
Billions NetworkBILL
pyth
PYTH (Pyth)PYTH
rune
THORChainRUNE
velodrome
Velodrome FinanceVELODROME
brev
BrevisBREV
cake
PancakeSwapCAKE
jst
JUSTJST

Related Questions

QWhat was the total amount stolen in crypto hacks in 2025, and what percentage did the three major incidents account for?

AIn 2025, hackers stole around $3.4 billion from crypto platforms, with the three major incidents accounting for approximately 70% of the total theft.

QWhich company is testing AI agents to detect vulnerabilities in blockchain, and what is the name of the benchmarking framework they are using?

AOpenAI is testing AI agents to detect vulnerabilities in real blockchain spaces, and they are using a framework called EVMbench.

QAccording to the article, what are the two main limitations of relying solely on human audits for smart contract security?

AHuman audits are limited because live contracts face new and evolving attacks that are hard to anticipate, and the auditing process is very time-consuming and costly.

QWhat specific tasks can AI agents perform to improve smart contract security, as mentioned in the article?

AAI agents can find hidden vulnerabilities in code, attempt to fix the issue without breaking the contract's function, and then test to see if they can still exploit the weakness to drain funds.

QWhat concern does the article raise about the potential misuse of AI-powered tools in the crypto space?

AThe article raises the concern that attackers could misuse AI-powered tools to more skillfully detect weaknesses in blockchain systems, posing a greater security risk.

Related Reads

Michael Saylor: 'We Never Said We Would Never Sell Bitcoin'

Michael Saylor stated that his company never made a commitment to never sell its bitcoin holdings, though it expects to remain a net buyer of bitcoin long-term. His comments came following reports that the company had received new authorization to sell up to $5 billion in bitcoin. Saylor clarified that this authorization is not new and was announced on June 29th as part of the company's capital management strategy. He emphasized that the authorization permits but does not obligate sales for specific purposes and that no new approval has been announced. Saylor also noted the company never officially adopted a "bitcoin will never be sold" policy.

cryptonews.ru37m ago

Michael Saylor: 'We Never Said We Would Never Sell Bitcoin'

cryptonews.ru37m ago

The 'Summer Saw' Continues: A Break Above $67,000 Could Signal the Start of Bitcoin's Rally

Bitcoin continues to consolidate within a $58,000–$67,000 range, with its price dropping to $62,217 on August 1st. Analysts are divided on the next direction. Trader Crypto Candy suggests a potential drop towards $60,000 if the price remains below $66,000. Investor Jelle refers to the prolonged sideways movement as a "summer saw" and maintains a dollar-cost averaging strategy. The key upside scenario hinges on a breakout above $67,000. Daan Crypto Trades states that without this, the movement risks being just an extended pause. Roman projects a sharper rise to $70,000–$80,000+ if a breakout occurs with sufficient volume. Macro-analyst Gert van Lagen views this as an accumulation phase within a multi-year "cup and handle" pattern. He notes that long-term holders are refusing to sell, as indicated by the NUPL metric staying far from capitulation. In summary, the market is in an accumulation phase, with the $60,000 and $67,000 levels being critical. A break above $67,000 could initiate significant growth, while a fall below $60,000 may lead to further decline. The recent pullback shows that legislative catalysts have provided only short-lived momentum, raising questions about the sustainability of any future breakout attempts.

cryptonews.ru52m ago

The 'Summer Saw' Continues: A Break Above $67,000 Could Signal the Start of Bitcoin's Rally

cryptonews.ru52m ago

Must-Watch Events Next Week｜CLARITY Act Could Face Senate Vote; SpaceX, Circle to Report Earnings (8.3-8.9)

**Summary: Key Events and Developments to Watch (August 3-9)** The upcoming week is marked by significant financial disclosures, key legislative deadlines, and notable product updates. **Major Financial Events:** Several companies are scheduled to release their Q2 2026 earnings. American Bitcoin (ABTC) will report on August 3, followed by SpaceX and Hut 8 Mining Corp. on August 4, and Circle on August 5. Notably, a significant portion of SpaceX shares (up to 12% of total shares) will be unlocked on August 6 following their earnings release. **Key Legislative Deadline:** The U.S. Senate faces an August 7 deadline to secure 60 votes for the CLARITY Act, a bipartisan bill aiming to establish a federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. The Senate may hold a full vote on the bill during the week. **Economic Data:** The U.S. July Non-Farm Payrolls report will be released on August 7, providing crucial labor market data. **Technology & Product Updates:** * **Shutdowns:** DeFi portfolio tracker Zapper and wallet app Ctrl Wallet will cease operations on August 3. * **Upgrades:** LayerZero will deprecate its v1 relayers on August 3. XRP Ledger's new version 3.3.0, featuring five new functions, is expected next week. * **AI:** Elon Musk announced that the advanced Grok 4.6 AI model is set for release around August 7. * **Bitcoin:** The BIP-110 forced signaling for a potential Bitcoin network change is scheduled to begin around August 8. **Other Notable Events:** Chinese robotics firm Unitree Tech has set its preliminary price inquiry for its IPO for August 5. South Korean exchange Upbit will delist AQT and AERGO tokens on August 3.

marsbit1h ago

Must-Watch Events Next Week｜CLARITY Act Could Face Senate Vote; SpaceX, Circle to Report Earnings (8.3-8.9)

marsbit1h ago

Stocks Are Plummeting More Sharply Than Cryptocurrencies. Where Has the Money Gone?

Stock Markets Plunge Deeper Than Cryptocurrencies: Where Did the Money Go? In late July, Seoul's Kospi index triggered circuit breakers for two consecutive days, plummeting over 40% from its June high. The collapse was led by heavyweight stocks like SK Hynix, whose record profits still disappointed investors, and devastating leveraged ETFs, with one major product losing over 83% of its value. This signaled a global, forced deleveraging targeting the most crowded trades. Interestingly, while stocks exhibited extreme volatility akin to crypto markets, Bitcoin rose nearly 15% in July after a prior steep drop. Analysis shows the money fleeing equities did not flow into Bitcoin. Instead, Bitcoin had already absorbed its sell-off in May-June, when U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw historic outflows. The true safe-haven beneficiary was gold, whose price rose over 20% year-on-year, highlighting a decoupling between Bitcoin and gold as "digital gold." The sell-off was a targeted unwinding of leveraged positions in tech and semiconductors, accelerated by broker-dealer risk management and shifts in the AI narrative, including new competition from Chinese memory chipmakers. The retreat path was clear: from high-valuation tech stocks to cash and U.S. Treasuries, then to gold. For Bitcoin to attract sustained institutional inflows, conditions like eased global liquidity pressure, a "soft-landing" Fed rate cut, and U.S. regulatory clarity via legislation like the stalled CLARITY Act are needed. Currently, Bitcoin is not a safe haven but an already-cleared asset. Its low correlation with tech stocks, however, makes it a potential diversification play for institutional portfolios once the storm passes. The money isn't here yet, but the positioning is underway.

marsbit1h ago

Stocks Are Plummeting More Sharply Than Cryptocurrencies. Where Has the Money Gone?

marsbit1h ago

In Conversation with Ray Dalio: We Are Currently in an AI Bubble, with 1% of My Portfolio in Bitcoin

Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, warns in an interview that the current AI boom shows classic bubble characteristics, which could lead to significant economic downturns as seen in past cycles like 1929 or 2000. He explains that speculative enthusiasm, fueled by debt and overvaluation, often precedes a crash when rising rates or taxation force asset sales, causing widespread losses and recession. Dalio also outlines his "Big Cycle" theory, describing an approximate 80-year pattern where widening wealth gaps, massive government deficits, and shifting geopolitical power (like China's rise) create internal conflict and global instability. He emphasizes that we are in a late-cycle, transitional phase where traditional powers like the US and UK face decline. For personal wealth protection, Dalio advises diversification beyond cash into assets like stocks, bonds, real estate, and particularly gold, which he prefers over Bitcoin. While he holds about 1% of his portfolio in Bitcoin as a non-printable hard asset, he views gold as more secure from technological or governmental threats. Regarding AI's impact, Dalio believes it will disproportionately benefit capital owners, worsening inequality by replacing both physical and cognitive labor. He suggests that human intuition and emotional intelligence, combined with AI, will be key for future workers. On taxation, Dalio argues that wealth taxes are impractical and risk triggering asset sell-offs, reducing productive investment. He points to the UK as a cautionary example of debt, low productivity, and political strife. Geopolitically, Dalio foresees a more regionalized world, with the US showing weakness in prolonged conflicts like with Iran, akin to past imperial declines. The ideal outcome, he suggests, is coexisting powerful blocs (e.g., Americas, China-Asia Pacific) without major war.

marsbit5h ago

In Conversation with Ray Dalio: We Are Currently in an AI Bubble, with 1% of My Portfolio in Bitcoin

marsbit5h ago

Trading

Spot

Hot Articles

Discussions

Welcome to the HTX Community. Here, you can stay informed about the latest platform developments and gain access to professional market insights. Users' opinions on the price of AI (AI) are presented below.

活动图片

Top Questions