The crypto industry has always been defined by its ability to endure extreme stress, but the events of mid-April 2026 offered a uniquely revealing look at how far the ecosystem has matured. When a sophisticated exploit struck the KelpDAO network, resulting in the theft of roughly $292 million in rsETH , the decentralized finance space faced what initially looked like a catastrophic contagion. The attack exposed vulnerabilities in the sector’s cross-chain infrastructure—plumbing that media