AI adoption in crypto crime rose 40% over the past year, TRM Labs says

AI adoption in cryptocurrency-related crime has surged 40% over the past year, with TRM Labs' 2026 AI-in-Crime Adoption Index rating overall AI use at 54 out of 100, up from 28 in 2024. Scammers are driving the majority of growth, with crypto scam reports involving AI rising 13 times since 2022 and deepfake scam losses in 2026 already exceeding 2025's full-year total by 263%. North Korean cyber actors account for $600 million or 61% of crypto hack losses in the first half of 2026, using AI-powered deepfake infiltration and social engineering to target crypto firms. Digital asset hacks reached a record 201 incidents in the first half of 2026, more than double the 2025 figure, while ransomware operations increasingly utilize AI at phishing and initial access stages.

AI adoption in crypto crime

• ▪AI use in narcotics trafficking and darknet markets remains limited, concentrated mainly in marketing according to TRM Labs.
• ▪TRM Labs listed scams at a mature level in terms of AI use, while hacking and ransomware remain emerging and narcotics and darknet markets stay at the earliest horizon stage.
• ▪TRM Labs' 2026 AI-in-Crime Adoption Index places overall AI use across crypto crime at 54 out of 100, up from about 28 in 2024.
• ▪AI adoption in crypto crime rose 40% over the past year according to TRM Labs.
• ▪The article about AI adoption in crypto crime was published on August 21, 2026.

AI-enhanced scam operations

• ▪Reported losses from deepfake scams in 2026 to date have already surpassed the full-year total for 2025 by 263%.
• ▪The share of crypto scam reports involving AI such as deepfakes or AI chatbots has risen as much as 13 times since 2022.
• ▪TRM Labs explained that much of the measured criminal activity ultimately moves value on public blockchains, making onchain trends a reasonable proxy for broader patterns.
• ▪The increase in AI adoption in crypto crime was driven primarily by scammers according to TRM Labs.

AI-assisted crypto hacks

• ▪Security engineer Taylor Hornby discovered a critical vulnerability in Zcash's Orchard transaction pool using AI in June 2026 that could have been exploited to create an unlimited amount of counterfeit tokens.
• ▪North Korea-linked activity accounted for about $600 million, or 61% of crypto hack losses in the first half of 2026.
• ▪Digital asset hacks reached a record 201 in the first half of 2026, more than double the 2025 figure according to TRM Labs.
• ▪Around 75% of crypto hack losses in the first half of 2026 stemmed from just 4% of incidents, where most were infrastructure compromises involving private-key or credential theft.
• ▪North Korean cyber actors are using deepfake IT-worker infiltration, AI-run social engineering, and AI-assisted vulnerability discovery to target crypto firms and protocols according to TRM Labs.

JadePuffer ransomware attack

• ▪JadePuffer is the first fully agentic ransomware attack used for an extortion operation, where an AI agent handled reconnaissance, credential theft, lateral movement, privilege escalation, and encryption end-to-end.
• ▪Most ransomware operations are already utilizing AI at the phishing and initial access stages according to TRM Labs.
• ▪No-code ransomware kits are sold for $400 to $1,200 according to TRM Labs.