[Chainalysis: Blockchain 'Dead Drop' Attacks Increase by 420% in 12 Months] According to a Chainalysis report, the method of embedding malicious payloads or C2 configurations into on-chain transactions and smart contracts, referred to as 'blockchain dead drop,' has grown by approximately 420% over the past 12 months. The daily average of malicious writes has risen from 2.06 to 11.1, with over 15 active instances identified across five major public blockchains. As of Q2 2026, state-backed actors account for about two-thirds of new activities: North Korea's UNC5342 has been targeting crypto developers with fake recruitment schemes since February 2025, redundantly utilizing TRON, Aptos, and BSC; Iranian intelligence-affiliated entities have been leveraging Bitcoin OP_RETURN encoded data since late 2024; and Russian-speaking criminal groups are operating malware-as-a-service models on Polygon.