Data shows crypto-related losses climbed to $4.04 billion last year, up by 34% from $3.01 billion in 2024.
By Parth Dubey
Editor Julia Sakovich
Updated
2 mins read
Crypto-related theft reached a new record in 2025. According to a recent report by PeckShield, total losses last year exceeded $4.04 billion, up roughly 34% from $3.01 billion in 2024. This surge was driven by weaknesses in centralized systems and more aggressive social engineering campaigns.
As per the report, theft patterns shifted toward fewer, larger incidents rather than a high number of small attacks. Crypto hacks accounted for $2.67 billion in losses, a 24% increase from 2024. During this time, scams totaled $1.37 billion, up by more than 64% year over year.
#PeckShieldAlert 2025 has witnessed a record-breaking year for crypto-related theft, driven primarily by systemic vulnerabilities in centralized infrastructure and a strategic shift toward targeted social engineering.
The total loss in 2025 exceeded $4.04B, reflecting a ~34.2%… pic.twitter.com/PRlGDPOLH1
— PeckShieldAlert (@PeckShieldAlert) January 13, 2026
PeckShield revealed that only about $334.9 million of stolen funds were recovered or frozen in 2025, down sharply from $488.5 million in 2024. More funds moved quickly through bridges, mixers, and cross-chain routes, which reduced recovery chances.
Monthly data shows that February led the crypto thefts with $1.77 billion, driven by the Bybit breach. May and April followed at $593 million and $407 million, respectively.
The largest incident of the year was the attack on Dubai-based exchange Bybit in February. It was the biggest single crypto theft ever recorded. The hackers exploited a private key leak in Bybit’s hot wallet system to steal roughly $1.4 billion.
Other major breaches include Cetus decentralized exchange, which lost $223 million in May. In November, Ethereum-based protocol Balancer also suffered a $128 million exploit.
Together, these large incidents accounted for a large share of total annual losses.
North Korean-linked actors were the dominant source of crypto thefts last year. According to a December report by Chainalysis, they stole at least $2.02 billion in digital assets in 2025, a 51% increase from the previous year.
These attacks represented about 76% of all service-related breaches. The cumulative estimate of funds stolen by North Korea now stands near $6.75 billion.
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A crypto journalist with over 5 years of experience in the industry, Parth has worked with major media outlets in the crypto and finance world, gathering experience and expertise in the space after surviving bear and bull markets over the years. Parth is also an author of 4 self-published books.
