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Crypto Security Failures Expose Human Vulnerabilities Over Technical Flaws

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Brian Armstrong's Bold Prediction: AI Agents Will Soon Dominate Global Financial

TLDR:

  • North Korea stole $2.02 billion in crypto in 2025—up 51%—using deception, not code exploits.
  • A fake Ledger Live app passed Apple’s review and drained $424,000 in Bitcoin from one user.
  • Kraken insiders were recruited via darknet ads for as little as $3,000 to compromise client accounts.
  • Cryptographic systems remain unbroken, but human access points are now the cheapest attack vector in crypto.

Human error, not code vulnerabilities, drove three major crypto security breaches within thirteen days in April 2025. The incidents collectively resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

Each case involved manipulation of people rather than exploitation of blockchain systems. Analysts say the pattern reveals a structural weakness the industry has yet to address.

The binding constraint in digital asset security is no longer cryptographic—it is human.

North Korean Operatives Target Crypto Firms Through Social Engineering

A six-month infiltration campaign led to Drift losing $285 million on April 1, 2025. Attackers posed as business partners, held in-person meetings across multiple countries, and deposited $1 million to build credibility.

Investigators attributed the operation with medium confidence to UNC4736, a North Korean state-sponsored group.

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The same group is linked to the $1.5 billion Bybit hack in February 2025. Chainalysis reported North Korea stole $2.02 billion in crypto in 2025 alone.

That figure represents a 51% year-over-year increase, achieved through 74% fewer attacks. The efficiency gain came from more refined deception, not improved technical tools.

As researcher Shanaka Anslem Perera noted, North Korea stopped trying to break cryptographic math in 2023. Instead, they began recruiting the people who sit next to it.

CrowdStrike documented 304 individual North Korean infiltration incidents in 2024. The campaigns are still accelerating into 2025.

Kraken caught a North Korean operative applying for an internal job in May 2025. The company deliberately allowed the interview to continue in order to study the tactics being used. That decision provided rare intelligence into how these operations are structured from the inside.

Fake Wallet App Drains Musician’s Decade of Bitcoin Savings

On April 11, musician G. Love—legally Garrett Dutton—purchased a new MacBook Neo and searched for Ledger Live on Apple’s App Store.

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He downloaded a clone that had passed both automated scans and manual review. A fake error screen prompted him to enter his 24-word seed phrase.

Within minutes, 5.92 Bitcoin—worth approximately $424,000—was gone. ZachXBT traced nine transactions to KuCoin deposit addresses.

KuCoin had lost its EU MiCA license in February 2025, raising further concerns about oversight gaps in the sector.

The app bypassed multiple layers of platform security without exploiting any technical flaw. It relied entirely on a convincing interface and a user placed under artificial pressure. The seed phrase, once entered, gave attackers complete and irreversible access.

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This type of attack requires no sophisticated code. It requires only a believable replica and one moment of user trust. The Apple App Store review process, widely regarded as rigorous, was not sufficient to catch it.

Darknet Ads Recruit Exchange Insiders for Thousands of Dollars

On April 13, Kraken’s Chief Security Officer disclosed that two support staff members had been recruited by a criminal group. Roughly 2,000 client accounts were accessed, representing 0.02% of total users. No funds were stolen, and no system was technically breached.

The criminals recorded videos of internal support panels. They are now using that footage for extortion. Kraken refused to pay. The access was not obtained through a zero-day exploit—it was obtained through a darknet job listing.

Checkpoint Research and ZeroFox documented the going rate for such access in late 2025. Credentials or panel access at Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, or Gemini were available for $3,000 to $15,000, paid in crypto. That price point is lower than one month’s rent in San Francisco.

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The crypto industry has spent fifteen years and hundreds of billions building technically sound infrastructure. SHA-256 remains unbroken.

Elliptic curve signatures remain intact. Yet within thirteen days, human access points bypassed all of it. The more the industry hardens its technical systems, the cheaper the human bypass becomes by comparison.

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Robinhood (HOOD) Stock: Bernstein Maintains $130 Target Despite 53% Plunge

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HOOD Stock Card

Key Takeaways

  • Bernstein maintains its Outperform rating on HOOD with a $130 price target, banking on cryptocurrency resurgence and expanding prediction markets.
  • HOOD shares have plummeted 53% from their 52-week peak of $153.86, now hovering between $69 and $71.
  • Bernstein’s revenue projections for 2026 exceed consensus by 9%, while EPS estimates are 16% higher; their crypto revenue outlook is 31% above street expectations.
  • Several analysts have reduced their targets, including Morgan Stanley (down to $95), Truist (lowered to $100), and Mizuho (cut to $105), although most retain positive ratings.
  • CEO Vladimir Tenev and company insiders offloaded nearly 470,000 shares worth approximately $34.16 million in the last quarter, while institutional player Robeco increased its position by 83%.

Robinhood Markets (HOOD) is experiencing turbulent times. Shares have collapsed more than 53% from their 52-week peak of $153.86, currently hovering in the $69–$71 range. This represents a dramatic reversal for a platform that recently benefited from cryptocurrency mania and surging retail investor activity.


HOOD Stock Card
Robinhood Markets, Inc., HOOD

Yet Bernstein SocGen Group remains undeterred. The investment firm reaffirmed its Outperform rating Monday, maintaining a $130 price target that suggests significant upside from current levels. Their bullish stance hinges on two key catalysts: a rebound in cryptocurrency markets and expanding revenue from prediction markets.

Bernstein’s projections stand notably above Wall Street consensus. The firm’s 2026 revenue forecast exceeds the street by 9%, while their earnings per share estimates run 16% higher. For cryptocurrency-related revenue specifically, Bernstein anticipates 2026 figures 31% above consensus expectations. The analysts suggest disappointing Q1 2026 results are already reflected in the current valuation.

The wider analyst community has adopted a more reserved posture. Morgan Stanley slashed its price objective from $147 down to $95 while downgrading to equal weight. Truist reduced its target from $120 to $100, and Mizuho lowered expectations from $135 to $105. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped its forecast from $130 to $100. Citizens adjusted from $180 to $155. Nevertheless, the consensus among 25 analysts maintains a “Moderate Buy” rating with an average target of $110.25.

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods launched coverage with a neutral market perform rating and $75 target—essentially aligned with current trading levels. Zacks took the most bearish stance, downgrading HOOD to strong sell.

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Executive Stock Sales Draw Attention

Insider transaction activity has contributed to negative sentiment. During the past three months, company insiders collectively sold 469,239 shares generating approximately $34.16 million. CEO Vladimir Tenev alone divested 375,000 shares. CTO Jeffrey Pinner sold roughly 5,835 shares. Director Daniel Gallagher unloaded 10,000 shares. These sales were executed through pre-established Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangements.

Insiders continue to control approximately 19.95% of outstanding shares, and institutional activity presents a mixed picture. Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest recently acquired HOOD stock in a substantial multi-million dollar transaction. Robeco Institutional Asset Management expanded its position by 83% throughout Q4, purchasing an additional 474,081 shares to reach over 1 million shares valued at approximately $118 million.

Financial Performance Breakdown

HOOD’s fourth-quarter results showed strength on earnings—delivering $0.66 EPS compared to the $0.63 consensus—while falling short on revenue with $1.28 billion versus expectations of $1.32 billion. Revenue nevertheless climbed 26.5% year-over-year.

The platform expanded its retail trading revenue share to 14% in 2025, up from 11% in 2024, through diversification into cryptocurrency and prediction markets. HOOD currently captures 4% of total brokerage revenue within its addressable market.

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Technically, shares trade below both the 50-day moving average of $75.27 and the 200-day moving average of $107.80. The stock touched a 52-week low of $39.21 during its recent decline. Market capitalization currently stands at approximately $62.29 billion with a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.59.

A potentially significant development emerged from Washington: Robinhood secured selection alongside BNY Mellon to administer the U.S. Treasury’s “Trump Accounts” child savings initiative, presenting a possible long-term customer acquisition opportunity. This represents the latest development worth monitoring.

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Cardano price forecast: ADA eyes $0.30 as bulls tap Bitcoin momentum

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Cardano Price
Cardano Price
  • Cardano traded around $0.24 as bulls looked to bounce higher.
  • Bitcoin’s uptick could boost ADA price to above $0.30.
  • ADA trends with bearish bias and entrenched bears could plunge prices to new lows.

Cardano (ADA) price is up nearly 3% on Tuesday morning, trading around $0.24 as bulls struggle to mirror broader market gains.

While Bitcoin and Ethereum have climbed above $74,700 and $2,300 respectively, to hit multi-week highs, ADA is hovering at a key supply zone following a recent sharp pullback.

However, could ADA shed the bearish bias and ride a broader upside momentum? Or are bears so entrenched to leave Cardano facing deeper losses?

Cardano price today

ADA has gained about 3% over the past 24 hours, reaching $0.24 amid selective altcoin strength.

In comparison, Bitcoin surged over 5% to $74,552, Ethereum hovered near $2,194 after a minor dip, and Solana traded around $80 with limited upside.

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Cardano derivatives data points to a slight bullish shift, with funding rates flipping positive in recent sessions and open interest climbing to roughly $436 million from $405 million on April 6.

This uptick in open interest reflects growing trader interest, though volumes remain cautious below recent peaks.

Bulls are defending the $0.24 zone, but failure here could trigger profit-taking aligned with broader market volatility.

ADA technical outlook

Cardano’s price action shows resilience at current levels, testing the upper trendline of a descending channel on the daily chart.

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The token sits near its 50-day exponential moving average around $0.26, a pivotal level for any sustained recovery.

Holding above $0.24 keeps short-term hopes alive, bolstered by improving derivatives sentiment.

Yet, the broader technical picture leans bearish on higher timeframes, with RSI lingering below 50 and signaling potential for deeper pullbacks.

Cardano Price Chart
Cardano price chart by TradingView

Cardano price forecast: Can ADA jump to $0.30?

Cardano may be struggling, but ADA has continued to attract dip-buying.

An example is wallets with at least 10 million ADA tokens, which have recently jumped to a 4-month high.

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Santiment pointed to a 5.2% rise in 9 weeks, significantly up since prices bottomed on February 5, 2026.

Whale activity suggests a push to $0.30 remains plausible.

If ADA taps Bitcoin’s momentum, targeting the 100-day EMA as key overhead resistance.

Bulls have retested the level on four occasions since early February, with price consolidating at current levels over the past week.

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Breaking the 50-day EMA at $0.26 first would validate the above outlook, potentially drawing in fresh longs amid rising open interest.

At the moment, positive funding rates further support the scenario, with further strength likely if shorts continue to pay longs.

On the flip side, entrenched bears could dominate if $0.24 gives way, eyeing notable support near $0.22. This will align the altcoin with channel downside projections.

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Ethereum price breaks out from multi-year descending channel, eyes upside to $3,400

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Ethereum price has broken out of a descending parallel channel pattern on the daily chart.

Ethereum price rose over 9% on Tuesday amid a broader market rally fueled by renewed hopes of a more stable U.S.-Iran ceasefire soon. 

Summary

  • Ethereum rose over 9% to a 10-week high of $2,393, driven by improving risk sentiment tied to a potential U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
  • Strong institutional demand, including Bitmine’s continued ETH accumulation and $123.5M in short liquidations, supported the rally.
  • A breakout from a descending channel signals a potential move toward $3,400, with $2,500 as the next key resistance level.

According to data from crypto.news, Ethereum (ETH) price rose 9.2% to a 10-week high of $2,393 on Tuesday, extending its gains to over 17% from its lowest point in a monthly period. 

Ethereum price rebounded higher following Bitcoin’s footsteps and a rally across the entire crypto market as investor demand for risk assets increased after reports revealed that Iran could likely give up on its uranium enrichment plans to secure a deal with the U.S., putting more weight on a potential ceasefire that had previously been very shaky. 

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The largest altcoin by market cap has also benefited from aggressive buying by the Ethereum treasury company Bitmine.

Over the past week, Bitmine acquired another 71,524 ETH, bringing its total holdings to 4.875 million ETH, representing 4.04% of the total supply. According to the company’s chairman, Tom Lee, Ethereum could likely be in the final stages of the mini crypto winter. This suggests why the company has ramped up its ETH buying activity for the past 4 weeks and helped in stabilizing the asset’s floor price. 

Moreover, over $123.5 million worth of short positions were liquidated from the altcoin futures market. This came as the sudden uptick in the altcoin’s price caught short sellers off guard, forcing them to buy back the asset to cover their losses. 

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On the daily chart, Ethereum price has confirmed breaking out of a descending parallel channel pattern that had been forming since early August 2025. Typically, a decisive breakout from the upper trendline of the pattern leads to an upside equal to the height of the channel itself. 

Ethereum price has broken out of a descending parallel channel pattern on the daily chart.
Ethereum price has broken out of a descending parallel channel pattern on the daily chart — April 14 | Source: crypto.news

Such a move would put the breakout target at $3,400, up nearly 42% from the current price level.  The MACD lines have pointed upwards and have moved above the zero line, a sign that bullish momentum is returning. Meanwhile, the supertrend indicator remained in green for nearly a month. 

For now, $2,500 remains the next major psychological resistance to watch. On the contrary, if its price dips back below $2,100, it could signal a return to the consolidation zone.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

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How a fake crypto app bypassed Apple’s security

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How a fake crypto app bypassed Apple's security

A fake version of Ledger Live distributed via Apple’s App Store has been linked to at least $9.5 million in crypto theft, with victims now coming forward describing devastating losses, including entire retirement funds wiped out “in an instant.”

One victim, posting on X under the handle @glove, said he lost 5.9 BTC – his entire savings accumulated over a decade – after downloading what he believed was the official Ledger app while setting up a new computer.

“I lost my retirement fund in a hack/scam… All my BTC gone in an instant,” he wrote.

Blockchain investigator ZachXBT later traced the stolen 5.92 BTC, showing it was rapidly funneled through a series of transactions into KuCoin deposit addresses, consistent with a broader laundering pattern identified across the incident.

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Apple and KuCoin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

$9.5 million stolen across chains

X user @glove wasn’t the only victim. The phishing campaign, active between April 7 and April 13, impacted more than 50 suspected victims across Bitcoin, Ethereum-compatible networks, Tron, Solana and XRP.

Three of the largest victims lost seven-figure sums, with $3.23 million in USDT being stolen on April 9, $2.08 million of USDC on April 11 and $1.95 million in BTC, ETH and stETH being drained on April 8.

Cases like this typically prompt victims to enter their recovery phrase on an app, giving attackers full access to their wallets.

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Laundering via KuCoin and ‘AudiA6’

Stolen funds were routed through more than 150 KuCoin deposit addresses and tied to “AudiA6,” a centralized crypto mixing service known for charging high fees to obfuscate illicit flows.

The reliance on a centralized exchange as a laundering hub is notable given KuCoin’s recent regulatory troubles. The exchange was barred from onboarding new EU users by Austrian regulators in February 2026, just months after receiving a MiCA license, and previously paid over $300 million to U.S. authorities to settle anti-money laundering violations in 2025.

App Store scrutiny

Apple removed the fake Ledger Live app from the App Store, but questions remain about how it passed review and how long it was available.

The scale of losses, coupled with the fact that the app was distributed through Apple’s official marketplace, could expose the company to legal risk, with ZachXBT suggesting the incident may form the basis for a class-action lawsuit.

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Rising threat

The incident highlights a persistent threat that has marred the crypto industry over the past few years. In 2025 crypto investors lost around $17 billion to hacks and scams, with social engineering and phishing tactics leading the way in terms of attack vectors.

For victims, the damage is already done.

“I worked ten years for this,” the victim wrote. “Be careful out there.”

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PepsiCo (PEP) Stock Earnings Preview: Q1 2026 Results Expected April 16

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PEP Stock Card

Key Takeaways

  • Q1 2026 earnings release scheduled for April 16, pre-market hours.
  • Options market pricing indicates potential 4.3% price swing post-announcement.
  • Analyst consensus projects $1.55 earnings per share (approximately 5% YoY growth) with $18.95 billion in revenue.
  • UBS maintains Buy rating with $186 price objective; Bank of America holds at $173.
  • Shares have climbed roughly 9% in 2026, with forward P/E ratio at 17.93x.

PepsiCo is set to unveil its first-quarter 2026 financial results on April 16 during pre-market trading hours. The options market suggests investors are bracing for a 4.3% movement in share price following the announcement.


PEP Stock Card
PepsiCo, Inc., PEP

This anticipated volatility falls short of PEP’s four-quarter average post-earnings movement of 5.4%, indicating relatively subdued market expectations for the upcoming release.

Shares have rallied approximately 9% since the start of 2026, significantly outpacing the S&P 500’s 2.2% decline during the identical timeframe. Currently trading at $157.06, the stock has climbed 23% from its 52-week bottom of $127.60.

Analysts are projecting quarterly earnings of $1.55 per share, representing approximately 5% expansion compared to last year’s $1.48 figure. Top-line expectations stand at $18.95 billion, suggesting roughly 6% year-over-year advancement.

PepsiCo has surpassed profit projections in all four previous quarters, delivering an average upside surprise of 1.2%. Zacks research indicates a modest Earnings ESP of +0.03% combined with a Hold classification, sufficient criteria for predicting another potential beat.

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Spotlight on North American Operations

The PepsiCo Foods North America (PFNA) division represents the critical area of focus for investors. This segment has faced challenges from weakening demand volumes and intensifying competitive dynamics, prompting leadership to implement strategic price reductions on flagship products while emphasizing value positioning.

Market participants are eager to identify early indicators that these strategic adjustments are producing results. Additional attention will center on the Beverages North America unit, which is pursuing its sixth consecutive year of core operating margin improvement.

Trade policy uncertainties and raw material expenses present genuine obstacles. UBS equity analyst Peter Grom, maintaining a Buy recommendation with a $186 valuation target, indicated he wouldn’t be caught off guard if full-year projections shift toward the conservative end of management’s range due to currency fluctuations and inflationary pressures.

Grom acknowledged that certain market participants harbor skepticism regarding whether PEP’s strategic pricing adjustments and product innovation initiatives will generate sustainable momentum in North American markets. Despite these concerns, he maintains a constructive view on the risk-reward profile at present valuation levels.

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Wall Street Perspectives Diverge

Bank of America analyst Peter Galbo sustained his Hold stance with a $173 valuation objective. His quarterly earnings forecast remains at $1.53 per share, with full-year expectations at $8.60. Galbo has adjusted his model to reflect an anticipated reduction in effective tax rate alongside elevated selling, general and administrative expenses during the first half of 2026.

His primary areas of examination for the quarterly report include: operational ramifications from Middle Eastern geopolitical tensions, progress on PFNA transformation strategies, and management commentary regarding Beverages North America expansion initiatives.

The Street’s aggregate position on PEP registers as Moderate Buy, comprising seven Buy recommendations against eight Hold ratings. The mean price objective of $173.36 suggests approximately 11% appreciation potential from current trading levels.

PEP’s forward price-to-earnings multiple stands at 17.93x, positioned below both the S&P 500’s 21.33x and the industry average of 18.88x. The equity also offers a dividend yield of 3.65%.

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PepsiCo has relaunched four flagship brands — Lay’s, Tostitos, Gatorade and Quaker — featuring refreshed marketing campaigns and streamlined ingredient formulations as components of a comprehensive portfolio modernization strategy entering 2026.

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Marvell (MRVL) Stock Surges to New Peak Fueled by AWS Partnership and Optical Network Boom

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MRVL Stock Card

Key Takeaways

  • MRVL shares rose 2.2% to $131.28, achieving back-to-back record closing prices for the first time since January 2025
  • Amazon’s $20B annual AI processor revenue stream bolsters investor confidence in Marvell’s partnership
  • Earlier 2025 selloff sent MRVL plunging over 50% to approximately $50 amid concerns over Amazon Trainium contract
  • Barclays projects Marvell’s optical networking segment could expand up to 90% annually through 2026
  • B. Riley analysts lifted their MRVL price objective to $156 from $135, reaffirming Buy stance

Marvell Technology shares have experienced a remarkable turnaround following a turbulent period, with the semiconductor company posting a fresh all-time closing high. On Monday, MRVL finished trading at $131.28, representing a 2.2% gain and marking the second straight session at record levels since the start of 2025, based on Dow Jones Market Data.


MRVL Stock Card
Marvell Technology, Inc., MRVL

The recovery narrative for this chipmaker has been dramatic. During early 2025, MRVL experienced a brutal decline exceeding 50% from peak valuations, bottoming near the $50 mark amid widespread speculation that the company might forfeit its contract designing Amazon’s advanced Trainium artificial intelligence processors.

Those concerns have now largely evaporated. Financial analysts across Wall Street show growing conviction that Marvell will maintain its strategic position within Amazon’s AI semiconductor ecosystem.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy revealed during recent statements that the tech giant’s internally developed AI chip operations have already reached $20 billion in yearly revenue, with plans to expand external sales of these processors. This disclosure provided substantial validation for investors backing Marvell’s prospects.

KeyBanc’s analyst John Vinh maintains an Overweight recommendation with a $130 price objective on the shares. His outlook anticipates Marvell’s upcoming quarterly results, scheduled for early June release, will modestly surpass Wall Street consensus estimates.

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“We expect Marvell to post slightly better results and slightly higher guidance, driven by continued outsized data center demand across both traditional and AI workloads, including hyperscaler AI ASICs (Trainium) and optical networking,” Vinh wrote in a Sunday research note.

Optical Networking Provides Additional Momentum

Separate from its Amazon relationship, Marvell is experiencing substantial tailwinds from its optical networking operations. As artificial intelligence data facilities scale upward in both size and sophistication, these centers require optical transceivers capable of transmitting information at higher speeds with greater efficiency by transforming electrical impulses into optical signals.

Marvell manufactures the digital signal processors embedded within these transceivers — representing a specialized yet critical component of AI infrastructure buildout. Barclays analyst Tom O’Malley recently elevated MRVL to Overweight status and forecasts the company’s optical networking revenues could surge as much as 90% during both this year and next.

Such aggressive growth estimates capture market attention. The optical networking segment has emerged as a quietly significant theme within the broader AI investment narrative.

Analyst Price Objectives Trending Upward

B. Riley increased its MRVL price target to $156 from $135 on Monday while keeping its Buy recommendation intact. The firm pointed to Taiwan Semiconductor’s March sales figures as providing favorable indications for Marvell’s first quarter and early second quarter performance.

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TSMC’s supply chain metrics offered analysts enhanced visibility into semiconductor demand patterns industry-wide, with the implications for Marvell appearing constructive.

Marvell shares have more than doubled over the trailing twelve months, despite the sharp downturn experienced during early 2025.

The early June earnings announcement will serve as the next critical catalyst. Market watchers will scrutinize commentary regarding both the Trainium partnership status and optical networking revenue trajectory.

B. Riley’s updated $156 target exceeds the current trading level, suggesting potential upside should the bullish momentum persist.

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Web3 Projects Lost $464.5M in Q1 2026 as Hacks Shift Beyond Code: Hacken

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Cryptocurrencies, Phishing, Smart Contracts, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Hacks

Web3 projects lost $464.5 million to hacks and scams in the first quarter of 2026, while multi-billion-dollar “mega hacks” gave way to a larger number of mid-sized incidents, according to blockchain security company Hacken.

According to Hacken’s Q1 2026 report, phishing and social engineering attacks dominated the period, accounting for $306 million in losses in a quarter that saw 43 incidents overall. A single $282 million hardware wallet scam in January was responsible for 81% of the quarter’s damage.

Smart contract exploits totaled $86.2 million, with access control failures, including compromised keys and cloud services, driving an additional $71.9 million in losses.

The losses place this quarter as the second-lowest first quarter since 2023, with the absence of a single mega hack on the scale of Bybit, which lost $1.46 billion in Q1 2025, the primary driver of the year-over-year decline.

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Hacken’s incident mapping shows the largest failures increasingly occurring outside onchain code, in operational and infrastructure layers that traditional audits rarely touch. Yev Broshevan, chief executive and co-founder at Hacken, told Cointelegraph the most expensive failures “happen outside the code layer entirely.”

Related: Aethir halts bridge exploit, promises compensation after $90K loss

According to Hacken, that shift is drawing greater scrutiny from regulators and institutional counterparties, with frameworks such as the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) in the European Union moving further into enforcement and raising expectations around continuous security monitoring and incident response.

Legacy code, fake VC calls and key compromises 

Broshevan pointed to $306 million in phishing, a $40 million North Korea-linked fake venture capitalist (VC) call against Step Finance, and a $25 million AWS key management service compromise at Resolv Labs. Even where smart contracts were at fault, the costliest bugs often sat in legacy deployments and known vulnerability classes. Truebit lost $26.4 million to a bug in a Solidity contract deployed around five years ago, while Venus Protocol was hit by a donation attack pattern documented since 2022.

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Cryptocurrencies, Phishing, Smart Contracts, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Hacks
Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2026. Source: Hacken.

Six audited projects, including Resolv with 18 audits and Venus with five separate firms, still accounted for $37.7 million in losses. On average, that was more than their unaudited peers because higher total value locked (TVL) protocols attract more sophisticated attackers and exploits.

Global watchdogs harden incident response expectations

In Q1, MiCA and DORA in the EU shifted further into active enforcement, Dubai’s regulator, the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, tightened expectations around its Technology and Information Rulebook, Singapore enforced Basel-aligned capital and one-hour incident notification rules, and the United Arab Emirates’ new Capital Market Authority took over federal digital asset oversight with broader powers and higher penalties.

Cryptocurrencies, Phishing, Smart Contracts, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Hacks
Total crypto losses per quarter. Source: Hacken

Related: Crypto hackers steal $169M from 34 DeFi protocols in Q1: DefiLlama

Hacken ties those regimes to a new benchmark for “regulator-ready” stacks that includes proof-of-reserves attestations backed by daily internal reconciliation, 24/7 onchain monitoring across treasury wallets and privileged roles, automated circuit-breakers on minting and governance functions and incident notification clocks calibrated to the strictest applicable standard. 

The report highlights “realistic” targets of awareness within 24 hours, labeling within four hours, and blocking in 30 seconds, with “aspirational” goals as low as 10 minutes for detection and 1 second to block, based on guidance from Global Ledger’s 2025 Laundering Race data.

At the human layer, Hacken flags North Korean clusters as the most consistent operational threat, with Step Finance’s $40 million loss and Bitrefill’s infrastructure breach extending a playbook of fake VC outreach, malicious video call tooling and compromised employee endpoints that extracted roughly $2.04 billion from the sector in 2025.

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