The year 2025 is already shaping up to be a disaster in terms of the number of crypto hacks, with a total estimated loss of over $3.4 billion. This criminal activity is proving highly lucrative for North Korea, with a 51% increase in their profits during this period.
2025: Worst Year for Crypto Hacks with $3.4 Billion Stolen
As the cryptocurrency sector opens up to new horizons such as traditional finance, the issue of its effective security is becoming an increasingly important challenge in order to protect its holders and users, particularly in light of recurring attacks targeting its ecosystem.
The year 2025 got off to a very bad start following the hack of the Bybit cryptocurrency exchange last February, with the record-breaking loss estimated at $1.5 billion immediately weighing down the total, now estimated at over $3.4 billion according to experts at Chainalysis.
As a result, “the ratio between the largest hack and the median of all incidents crossed the 1,000× threshold for the first time” this December, to the point of exceeding the peak recorded during the 2021 bull market, with three attacks alone accounting for 69% of all recorded losses.
Increase in crypto hacks between 2015 and 2025
However, these staggering figures should not obscure a more troubling reality: the security of personal wallets is one of the key factors to consider in the context of targeted attacks on the crypto ecosystem.
Beyond the headline figure, the data reveals significant shifts in the composition of these thefts. Compromises of personal wallets have surged, rising from just 7.3% of the total value stolen in 2022 to 44% in 2024. In 2025, this share would have been 37% without the disproportionate impact of the attack on Bybit.
Chainalysis
North Korea: The Crypto Ecosystem’s Worst Enemy
Given the significant increase in stolen amounts, North Korea (DPKR, for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) undoubtedly stands out as one of the most active entities, with a 51% increase over one year, now totaling a record $2 billion.
Activity attributed to North Korea in crypto hacks
A catastrophic toll, according to experts at Chainalysis, who point to “the worst year ever recorded for crypto thefts attributed to the DPRK in terms of value stolen (…) with a record 76% of all service compromises,” despite a significant drop in the frequency of attacks.
This is also an opportunity to mention the problem of the ever-increasing—and largely underestimated—infiltration of North Korean agents into leading technology companies or crypto projects “to gain privileged access and enable high-impact compromises.”
Reassuringly for individual users, it appears that North Korean hackers are focusing solely on high-impact attacks targeting major organizations. Nevertheless, the number of incidents remains high, with attacks that “target more users but steal smaller amounts per victim.”
