Hackers stole over $3 billion in cryptocurrency in 2024
Date: 2025-01-10 Author: Oliver Abernathy Categories: BUSINESS
According to PeckShield, the total losses were $3.01 billion, up 15% from $2.61 billion in 2023. However, this figure is still below the record high of $3.6 billion in 2022.
The bulk of the losses in 2024 — $2.15 billion (71%) — were hacks and hacker attacks. The remaining $834.5 million (29%) were attributed to fraud. Some of the stolen assets were recovered: the total amount of funds returned was about $488.5 million.
Attacks on centralized platforms showed a significant increase. If in 2022 their share was about 20%, and in 2023 - just over 30%, then in 2024 such services accounted for 45% of all cases.
Among the largest incidents of the year, one can highlight the hack of the Japanese DMM Bitcoin exchange, where $305 million was stolen in May, an attack on the NFT platform PlayDapp in February with damages of $290 million, and a hack of the WazirX platform in July, which led to a loss of $230 million.
The largest losses were recorded in the first half of the year. Thus, in May, attackers stole cryptocurrency worth $662 million, and in February - $440 million. In the second half of the year, activity decreased slightly: in November, the amount stolen was $95 million, and in December - $46 million.
Hackers continue to use increasingly sophisticated methods. Social engineering remains one of the popular schemes. A particularly widespread tactic is when attackers lure dishonest users into a trap by offering them an “easy” opportunity to steal cryptocurrencies.
Another new threat is phishing attacks through fake Zoom video conferences. Users are sent malicious links to supposedly online events. After clicking on them, a program is installed on the device that allows hackers to access personal data and crypto wallets.
The rise in hacker attacks and fraudulent schemes highlights the need for stricter security measures for both platforms and cryptocurrency users.
