Crypto Theft Surges to $4.04B in 2025, Driven by Major Hacks

Crypto-related theft reached a new high in 2025, with total losses exceeding $4.04 billion, marking a 34% increase from 2024. This rise is attributed to vulnerabilities in centralized systems and aggressive social engineering.

Theft incidents shifted towards fewer but larger events. Hacks resulted in $2.67 billion of losses, up 24% from the previous year.
Scams accounted for $1.37 billion, representing a 64% increase year-over-year.

Recovery efforts saw only $334.9 million of stolen funds being recovered or frozen in 2025, down from $488.5 million in 2024. Quick fund movements through bridges and mixers hindered recovery.

February recorded the highest thefts at $1.77 billion, primarily due to the Bybit breach.
May and April followed with $593 million and $407 million in losses, respectively.

Bybit Breach: The Largest Incident of 2025

The largest theft was the Bybit attack in February, where hackers stole approximately $1.4 billion by exploiting a private key leak.
Cetus exchange lost $223 million in May, while Balancer suffered a $128 million exploit in November.

North Korea Leads Threat Activity

North Korean actors were responsible for $2.02 billion in crypto thefts in 2025, a 51% increase from the previous year.
These attacks made up about 76% of service-related breaches, bringing North Korea's cumulative theft to nearly $6.75 billion.