Crypto hacks hit $3.4 billion in 2025, attacks on individual wallets rise: Chainalysis
Cryptocurrency theft reached over $3.41 billion in 2025, marked by a rise in attacks on personal wallets, though DeFi security showed improvement.Summary
Blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis reported that cryptocurrency theft totaled over $3.41 billion from January through early December 2025, an increase from $3.38 billion the previous year. A single $1.5 billion hack of the Bybit exchange accounted for 44% of the annual total, with the top three hacks comprising 69% of all losses from services.
There was a significant shift toward attacks on personal crypto wallets, which rose from 7.3% of stolen value in 2022 to 44% in 2024, involving 158,000 cases, though the total value stolen from individuals declined to $713 million. Conversely, DeFi hack losses remained suppressed despite a rebound in Total Value Locked (TVL), suggesting meaningful progress in sector security, exemplified by the swift response to the Venus Protocol incident.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was the biggest threat, achieving a record theft year of at least $2.02 billion in 2025, largely through embedding IT workers inside crypto services. DPRK actors utilize structured laundering methods involving Chinese-language services like Huione, differing from typical cybercriminals who favor lending protocols and KYC-free exchanges.
(Source：The Block)