Crypto thefts surged in early 2025, driven by state-linked hacker groups and new attack methods.
- Investors lost over $2.1 billion from January to June 2025.
- North Korea is linked to 70% of all stolen crypto this year.
- Infrastructure-level breaches caused most of the damage.
Record-Breaking Thefts in 2025
The first half of 2025 was the worst on record for crypto hacks and exploits. Hackers stole over $2.1 billion in just six months. This amount is nearly equal to the total stolen in all of 2024 and 10% more than the previous peak in 2022.
A report from TRM Labs shows that 75 separate attacks happened between January and June. These thefts averaged $30 million each. The numbers are so high mainly because of one event—the $1.5 billion Bybit hack in February, the largest crypto theft ever recorded.
North Korea Behind Most Crypto Hacks
According to researchers, North Korean-linked groups are responsible for $1.6 billion of the stolen funds. This makes up around 70% of the total amount stolen during the period. The Bybit breach is believed to be their work.
The stolen funds from this and other incidents often end up in unspendable “vanity” addresses. This indicates political motives instead of financial gain.
Other Nations Also Involved
North Korea wasn’t alone. A group likely linked to Israel, known as Gonjeshke Darande (Predatory Sparrow), stole $90 million from the Iranian exchange Nobitex in June. Reports say this attack was politically driven and connected to Iran’s alleged role in dodging sanctions.
Hacks Are Getting More Advanced
Attackers are using smarter tools. Over 80% of the stolen funds in H1 2025 came from high-level infrastructure breaches. These include stolen private keys and website takeovers. These types of hacks are now ten times more effective than older methods like smart contract bugs.
Classic DeFi vulnerabilities, such as flash loan and reentrancy attacks, now account for just 12% of all thefts. This shows a shift in how hackers operate and who they target.
Source: coindesk.com
