Cybercriminals stole $2.7 billion in cryptocurrencies this year, a new record for crypto theft hacks, according to a blockchain monitoring firm.
2025 once again saw dozens of crypto heists hitting several crypto exchanges and other Web3 and decentralized finance (DeFi) projects. The biggest hack to date was the breach at Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange Bybit, where hackers stole about $1.4 billion in cryptocurrencies. A blockchain analysis firm and the FBI blamed North Korean government hackers, the most prolific crypto-targeting group in years, for the massive heist.
This was the largest known looting of cryptocurrencies in history, and one of the largest financial heists in human history. Prior to the Bybit hack, the largest cryptocurrency thefts were the Ronin Network and Poly Network breaches in 2022, which netted hackers $624 million and $611 million, respectively.
Cryptocurrency monitoring firms Chaineries and TRM Labs both estimate that a total of $2.7 billion was stolen in cryptocurrencies in 2025, according to data shared with TechCrunch. Chainalysis also tracked an additional $700,000 stolen from individual cryptocurrency wallets, the company said.
Web3 security company De.Fi, which operates the REKT database that tracks cryptocurrency theft, also estimates the amount of cryptocurrency stolen and hacked last year at $2.7 billion.
As usual, the most successful crypto thieves throughout 2025 were North Korean government hackers, who stole at least $2 billion, according to Chainalysis and Elliptic. The study estimates that Kim Jong Un's hackers have stolen about $6 billion since 2017. North Korea uses crypto theft to fund its sanctioned nuclear weapons program.
Other significant crypto hacks this year included the hack against decentralized exchange Cetus, which netted hackers $223 million in profits. A breach of Balancer, a protocol built on the Ethereum blockchain, resulted in losses of $128 million. and against cryptocurrency exchange Phemex, where cybercriminals stole more than $73 million.
Cybercriminals continue to target crypto exchanges and other DeFi projects. In 2024, hackers stole $2.2 billion in cryptocurrencies, compared to a total of $2 billion the year before in 2023.