Bridge Hacks in 2025–2026: How Coordination Failures Drove Nine-Figure Losses

On January 20, 2026, an analysis argued that in 2025 and early 2026 most bridge losses stemmed from overwhelmed operators and validator coordination, not exotic exploits. Nine figure sums vanished within minutes as funds moved through privacy tools and DEXs before alarms fully registered. The piece stresses that design and operations, not just code, defined outcomes.