The $2.17 billion stolen so far this year already surpasses the losses seen in all of 2024, and is the highest number seen in the first six months of a year since the company began tracking the figures in 2022. Chainalysis researchers noted several other concerning trends, including increases in personal wallet compromises and so-called “wrench” attacks where physical violence or coercion is used against crypto holders. Most of the total comes from the $1.5 billion stolen from Dubai-based crypto platform Bybit in February by hackers connected to North Korea. “The Bybit hack demonstrates that even sophisticated industry entities remain vulnerable to advanced persistent threats, while the surge in personal wallet compromises shows that individual holders of cryptocurrency face unprecedented risks,” the researchers said. The data from Chainalysis largely matches numbers released by the blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs two weeks ago — which found $2.1 billion stolen across at least 75 distinct hacks and exploits. More than $2 billion in cryptocurrency was stolen by hackers in the first half of 2025, according to the blockchain security firm Chainalysis. Chainalysis estimates that up to $4 billion worth of cryptocurrency may be stolen by the end of the year. The United Nations said last year that it is tracking dozens of incidents over a five-year period that have netted North Korea $3 billion. The Bybit incident is currently the largest-ever crypto theft and accounts for 69% of all funds stolen this year. The report found that the average losses coming from compromised personal wallets storing Bitcoin has increased, illustrating that hackers are likely going after higher-value individual holdings. There have already potentially been twice the number of physical attacks in 2025 compared to the entire next highest year on record. The U.S., Germany, Russia, Canada, Japan, Indonesia and South Korea saw the highest concentration of stolen fund victims. Alongside North Korea's attacks, it illustrated the growing role of nation-states in crypto theft incidents. TRM Labs also highlighted the Israel-linked attack in June on Iran’s largest crypto exchange, Nobitex, which involved the theft of more than $90 million.
This Cyber News was published on therecord.media. Publication date: Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:05:17 +0000