Ethereum’s Surge in Activity: A Sign of Growth or Address Poisoning Attacks in 2026?

The recent surge in Ethereum’s network has ignited a discussion among crypto enthusiasts; some have linked it to adoption while others have said it is due to malicious activities. A security researcher, Andrey Sergeenkov, suggests that the surge might be due to address poisoning attacks that take advantage of the low gas fees on Ethereum.

Address Poisoning Attacks

Address poisoning is a tactic that involves sending small amounts of transactions from wallet addresses that are almost the same as real ones to trick users into copying the wrong address. After the Fusaka upgrade, gas fees on Ethereum have fallen by more than 60%, making these attacks more profitable for the attackers.

According to Sergeenkov’s research, 67% of newly created accounts are getting less than $1 as their first transaction, and 3.8 million accounts are getting a “dust” transaction as their first one.

Source: Kaleido

Also Read: EtherClassic (ETC) Tests Critical Support Before Explosive Bounce to $120

Technical Chart Indicates

The chart indicates technical indicators, representing Ethereum (ETH) price action. The MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence) indicator with MACD line at-18.92 and signal line at a values of -19.83, respectively, and a MACD value of -0.9105, indicating a bearish signal below zero. The AO (Awesome Oscillator) display a value of -40.33, suggesting bearish momentum.Overall, the chart indicates Ethereum is experiencing bearish momentum with declining price and negative technical indicators (MACD & AO).

Source: TradingView

The Impact

The effects of address poisoning are quite serious as over $740, 000 were stolen from 116 victims. Attackers send very small amounts of stablecoins to countless addresses, thereby creating fake entries in the transaction histories.

Also Read: Ethereum Staking Ratio Surpasses 30%, Hits All-Time High

Conclusion

This not only jeopardizes the user security but also distorts the network activity metrics. There is a high possibility that Ethereum’s booming activity reflects the increasing adoption; however, it is necessary to be aware of the dangers of address poisoning attacks.

Also Read: Ethereum (ETH) Price Analysis: $3,400 Upside vs $3,000 Support