Ledger Hires New Security Chief as Crypto Hacks Hit $1.4 Billion

Ledger SAS, a maker of hardware devices used to store cryptocurrencies, is combining oversight of its internal technology systems and security under a single executive, as a rise in artificial intelligence-fueled crypto attacks pushes companies to rethink their defenses. Paris-based Ledger has hired Oded Blatman as chief information officer and chief security officer, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Blatman — who was previously at blockchain firm Fireblocks — will have a broad remit including cyber and infrastructure security, product, physical and workplace security, as well as internal IT and enterprise risk, the company said. Combining these responsibilities under one executive will help ensure the company’s defenses evolve in step with cyber threats that are becoming ever more sophisticated, Ledger said. “AI is changing the risk and threat landscape all over the industry, lowering the cost and time required to search for weaknesses,” Blatman said in an interview. “It makes attacks much more sophisticated and with greater scale, and the defending side needs to move at equal speeds.” The appointment comes amid a wave of attacks and breaches across the digital-asset industry. Hackers have siphoned around $1.4 billion so far in 2026 across 250 attacks, compared with $2.7 billion over 146 attacks in 2025, according to DefiLlama data. Read more: A $320 Million Hack Exposes the Cracks in Crypto’s Plumbing Earlier this week, about $320 million of Bitcoin was withdrawn from the Liquid Network in a hack, while last week hardware wallet maker Trezor said a data breach at one of its shipping providers exposed the personal information of tens of thousands of customers. Earlier this year, a hack of popular offline wallet Coldcard raised questions about the security of what has long been considered one of the safest ways to store digital assets. Attackers are increasingly using AI for sophisticated phishing scams and deepfake impersonation schemes, Ledger said. At the same time, increased use of blockchain technology to issue and trade mainstream assets such as stocks and bonds is raising the stakes. Prior to joining Ledger, Blatman served as CIO and chief information security officer at Fireblocks for five years and was formerly global CISO of Bank Hapoalim, one of Israel’s largest banks. Photograph: A Ledger USB wallet at the companies headquarters in Paris; photo credit: Marlene Awaad/Bloomberg Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.