Ethereum Active Addresses Surge Amidst Security Concerns

Ethereum’s daily active addresses surged to 1.3 million in January due to decreased transaction fees, briefly overtaking Layer 2 networks, according to CoinDesk data.

While indicative of network activity recovery, address growth is partly driven by address poisoning attacks, necessitating scrutiny of data quality and implications for ETH market sentiments.

Implications of Address Poisoning on Ethereum’s Data Integrity

Ethereum experienced a spike in daily active addresses in January 2026, reaching around 1.3 million, a figure that briefly surpassed the activity levels of prominent Layer 2 networks. This increase was largely influenced by reduced transaction fees, as reported in CoinDesk, suggesting an improvement in user participation.

However, the outlook is complicated by allegations of address poisoning. This involves malicious actors sending tiny stablecoin transactions to random wallets, creating misleading transaction histories. Andrey Sergeenkov, a security researcher, has highlighted the risks, stating, “Address poisoning is a factor inflating Ethereum’s daily active addresses, and I noted a correlation between January’s address growth and attacks involving small stablecoin transfers to wallets, which create fake addresses in transaction histories.” This activity inflates the apparent number of active addresses without genuinely increased activity, leading analysts to caution about potentially distorted data.

Market reactions remain muted, as leading figures such as Vitalik Buterin have yet to comment publicly on the matter.

Historical Context, Price Data, and Expert Analysis

Did you know? Ethereum previously saw over 1 million active addresses during the 2021 bull market driven by DeFi and NFT booms, which aligns with trends seen in the January surge.

As of January 24, 2026, Ethereum’s (ETH) price stands at $2,957.74 with a market cap exceeding $356.98 billion. Recent trading volume dropped by 20.64%, currently at $17.51 billion. Ethereum’s price fell by 10.42% over the past 7 days. (Source: CoinMarketCap)

The Coincu research team suggests that the notable increase in active addresses, driven by reduced fees and potential security risks like address poisoning, could impact Ethereum’s regulatory scrutiny and user adoption. This highlights the importance of assessing on-chain data integrity before making investment decisions.