{"id":5165,"date":"2025-12-31T14:41:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T14:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=5165"},"modified":"2025-12-31T14:41:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T14:41:19","slug":"crypto-hacks-dropped-by-half-in-2025-but-the-data-reveals-a-much-deadlier-financial-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=5165","title":{"rendered":"Crypto hacks dropped by half in 2025, but the data reveals a much deadlier financial threat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>This year\u2019s defining security event was not a sophisticated DeFi exploit or a novel protocol failure, but the $1.46 billion theft from Bybit, a top-tier centralized exchange.<\/p>\n<p>That single event, attributed to sophisticated state-sponsored actors, rewrote the narrative of the year. It proved that while the frequency of attacks has dropped, the severity of the damage has escalated to systemic levels.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cs-article-embed\">\n<div class=\"cs-article-embed__media\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bybit-hack-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"ByBit suffers $1.5 billion Ethereum heist in cold wallet breach\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bybit-hack-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"ByBit suffers $1.5 billion Ethereum heist in cold wallet breach\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/div>\n<div class=\"cs-article-embed__body\"> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__related-reading\">Related Reading<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"cs-article-embed__title\">ByBit suffers $1.5 billion Ethereum heist in cold wallet breach<\/h3>\n<p class=\"cs-article-embed__summary\">The sophisticated attack exploited ByBit\u2019s Ethereum cold wallet, but all other systems are reportedly unaffected.<\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__meta-item\">Feb 21, 2025<\/span> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__meta-divider\">\u00b7<\/span> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__meta-item\">Oluwapelumi Adejumo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Data from blockchain security firm SlowMist paints a picture of an industry under siege by professionalized, industrial-scale threats. There were approximately 200 security incidents across the ecosystem in 2025, roughly half the 410 recorded the previous year.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, total losses climbed to about $2.935 billion, up significantly from $2.013 billion in 2024.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_513075\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-513075\" style=\"width: 1400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-513075\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYosPaMAEXHud.jpg\" alt=\"To 10 Crypto Hacks in 2025\" width=\"1400\" height=\"859\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYosPaMAEXHud.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYosPaMAEXHud-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYosPaMAEXHud-1024x628.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYosPaMAEXHud-768x471.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-513075\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">To 10 Crypto Hacks in 2025 (Source: SlowMist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The math is unforgiving: the average loss per event more than doubled, rising from roughly $5 million to nearly $15 million.<\/p>\n<p>This showed that attackers abandoned low-value targets to focus on deep liquidity and high-value centralized chokepoints.<\/p>\n<h2>State actors and the industrial supply chain<\/h2>\n<p>The escalation in value lost is directly linked to the changing profile of the attackers.<\/p>\n<p>In 2025, the \u201clone wolf\u201d hacker has largely been replaced or subsumed by organized crime syndicates and nation-state actors, most notably groups linked to the Democratic People&#8217;s Republic of Korea (DPRK).<\/p>\n<p>These actors have shifted tactics from opportunistic, single-point exploits toward organized, multi-stage operations that target centralized services and rely on structured laundering processes.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, the breakdown of losses by sector confirms this pivot.<\/p>\n<p>While DeFi protocols still absorbed the highest volume of hits, 126 incidents resulting in about $649 million in losses, centralized exchanges accounted for the bulk of capital destruction. Just 22 incidents involving centralized platforms produced roughly $1.809 billion in losses.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_513077\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-513077\" style=\"width: 1400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-513077\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYs2KbIAAo2jo.jpg\" alt=\"Crypto Loss by Sector\" width=\"1400\" height=\"864\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYs2KbIAAo2jo.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYs2KbIAAo2jo-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYs2KbIAAo2jo-1024x632.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYs2KbIAAo2jo-768x474.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload size-full wp-image-513077\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYs2KbIAAo2jo.jpg\" alt=\"Crypto Loss by Sector\" width=\"1400\" height=\"864\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYs2KbIAAo2jo.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYs2KbIAAo2jo-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYs2KbIAAo2jo-1024x632.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYs2KbIAAo2jo-768x474.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-513077\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crypto Loss by Sector (Source: SlowMist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"cs-article-embed\">\n<div class=\"cs-article-embed__media\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/crypto-hacker-iran-1024x538.jpeg\" alt=\"Iran-based crypto exchange hacked for $48M amid cyberattack claims by Israel-linked group\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/crypto-hacker-iran-1024x538.jpeg\" alt=\"Iran-based crypto exchange hacked for $48M amid cyberattack claims by Israel-linked group\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/div>\n<div class=\"cs-article-embed__body\"> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__related-reading\">Related Reading<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"cs-article-embed__title\">Iran-based crypto exchange hacked for $48M amid cyberattack claims by Israel-linked group<\/h3>\n<p class=\"cs-article-embed__summary\">Nobitex taken offline as Israel-linked Predatory Sparrow threatens data release in escalating cyber conflict.<\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__meta-item\">Jun 18, 2025<\/span> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__meta-divider\">\u00b7<\/span> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__meta-item\">Oluwapelumi Adejumo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Supporting these high-level operators is an underground supply chain that functions with the efficiency of a commercial software ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>Models known as Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) and Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) have lowered the barrier to entry, allowing less skilled criminals to rent sophisticated infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>This industrialization extended to the \u201cdrainer\u201d market, which are toolkits designed to empty wallets via phishing.<\/p>\n<p>Although total drainer losses fell to about $83.85 million across 106,106 victims, representing an 83% drop in value from 2024, the sophistication of the tools matured.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_513084\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-513084\" style=\"width: 1400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-513084\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9acNvZboAAXEoe.jpg\" alt=\"Crypto Phishing Scams\" width=\"1400\" height=\"724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9acNvZboAAXEoe.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9acNvZboAAXEoe-300x155.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9acNvZboAAXEoe-1024x530.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9acNvZboAAXEoe-768x397.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload size-full wp-image-513084\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9acNvZboAAXEoe.jpg\" alt=\"Crypto Phishing Scams\" width=\"1400\" height=\"724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9acNvZboAAXEoe.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9acNvZboAAXEoe-300x155.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9acNvZboAAXEoe-1024x530.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9acNvZboAAXEoe-768x397.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-513084\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crypto Phishing Scams (Source: SlowMist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>SlowMist noted that organized cybercrime has learned to treat Web3 as a repeatable, reliable revenue stream.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, supply chain attacks also added a dangerous dimension to the threat landscape.<\/p>\n<p>Malicious code inserted into software libraries, plugins, and development tools placed backdoors upstream from final applications, allowing criminals to compromise thousands of downstream users simultaneously.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, high-privilege browser extensions became a favored vector. Once compromised, these tools converted user machines into silent collection points for seeds and private keys.<\/p>\n<h2>The pivot to social engineering and AI<\/h2>\n<p>As protocol security tightened, attackers shifted their focus from the code to the human behind the keyboard.<\/p>\n<p>2025 demonstrated that a private key leak, an intercepted signature, or a poisoned software update is just as devastating as a complex on-chain arbitrage exploit.<\/p>\n<p>The statistics reflect this parity: there were 56 smart contract exploits and 50 account compromises recorded during the year. The gap between technical risk and identity risk has effectively closed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_513078\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-513078\" style=\"width: 1400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-513078\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYm4Tb0AAS85o.jpg\" alt=\"Crypto Security Breaches Causes in 2025\" width=\"1400\" height=\"789\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYm4Tb0AAS85o.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYm4Tb0AAS85o-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYm4Tb0AAS85o-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYm4Tb0AAS85o-768x433.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload size-full wp-image-513078\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYm4Tb0AAS85o.jpg\" alt=\"Crypto Security Breaches Causes in 2025\" width=\"1400\" height=\"789\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYm4Tb0AAS85o.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYm4Tb0AAS85o-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYm4Tb0AAS85o-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9aYm4Tb0AAS85o-768x433.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-513078\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crypto Security Breaches Causes in 2025 (Source: SlowMist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To breach these human defenses, criminals weaponized artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-5\" style=\"margin: 8px 0; clear: both;\">\n<div class=\"placement desktop us-deny-hide hidden\" style=\"max-height: 107px\">  <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1456\" height=\"180\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; width: 728px; max-height: 90px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; height: 90px;\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/bc_game168_Sposorship_1456x180.gif\" alt=\"BC Game\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"1456\" height=\"180\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; width: 728px; max-height: 90px; max-width: 100%; margin: auto; height: 90px;\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/bc_game168_Sposorship_1456x180.gif\" alt=\"BC Game\"\/> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>During the year, the noticeable surge in synthetic text, voice, images, and video provided attackers with a cheap, scalable way to mimic customer support agents, project founders, recruiters, and journalists.<\/p>\n<p>Also, deepfake calls and voice clones rendered traditional verification habits obsolete, increasing the success rate of social engineering campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, phishing campaigns evolved past simple malicious links into multi-stage operations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cs-article-embed\">\n<div class=\"cs-article-embed__media\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/uxlink-hacker-phishing-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"Crypto hacker falls victim to own scam losing $50 million to phishing attack\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/uxlink-hacker-phishing-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"Crypto hacker falls victim to own scam losing $50 million to phishing attack\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/div>\n<div class=\"cs-article-embed__body\"> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__related-reading\">Related Reading<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"cs-article-embed__title\">Crypto hacker falls victim to own scam losing $50 million to phishing attack<\/h3>\n<p class=\"cs-article-embed__summary\">The UXLINK attacker had minted 2 billion unauthorized tokens and was selling them via exchanges.<\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__meta-item\">Sep 23, 2025<\/span> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__meta-divider\">\u00b7<\/span> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__meta-item\">Oluwapelumi Adejumo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Ponzi schemes adapted in parallel, shedding the naked \u201cyield farm\u201d aesthetics of the past for the veneer of institutional finance.<\/p>\n<p>This resulted in new frauds masquerading as \u201cblockchain finance\u201d or \u201cbig data\u201d platforms. These scams also utilized stablecoin deposits and multi-level referral structures to mimic legitimacy.<\/p>\n<p>For context, projects like DGCX illustrated how classic pyramid schemes could operate behind the facade of professional dashboards and corporate branding.<\/p>\n<h2>Enforcement and the regulatory hammer<\/h2>\n<p>The scale of the year&#8217;s losses forced a decisive shift in regulatory behavior as regulatory authorities moved from theoretical debates about jurisdiction to direct, on-chain intervention.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, their focus expanded beyond the entities themselves to the infrastructure that facilitates crime, including malware networks, dark web markets, and laundering hubs.<\/p>\n<p>A prime example of this broadened scope was the pressure applied to the Huione Group, a conglomerate targeted by investigators for its role in facilitating laundering flows.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, platforms like Garantex faced continued enforcement actions, signaling that regulators are prepared to dismantle the financial plumbing used by cybercriminals.<\/p>\n<p>Stablecoin issuers emerged as a critical component of this enforcement strategy, effectively acting as deputies in the effort to freeze stolen capital. Tether froze USDT on 576 Ethereum addresses, while Circle froze USDC on 214 addresses throughout the year.<\/p>\n<p>These actions yielded tangible results. Across 18 major incidents, approximately $387 million of the $1.957 billion in stolen funds was frozen or recovered.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_513085\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-513085\" style=\"width: 1274px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-513085\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9abr-JaYAEf7R1.jpg\" alt=\"Frozen Tether's USDT Addresses \" width=\"1274\" height=\"1084\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9abr-JaYAEf7R1.jpg 1274w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9abr-JaYAEf7R1-300x255.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9abr-JaYAEf7R1-1024x871.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9abr-JaYAEf7R1-768x653.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1274px) 100vw, 1274px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload size-full wp-image-513085\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9abr-JaYAEf7R1.jpg\" alt=\"Frozen Tether's USDT Addresses \" width=\"1274\" height=\"1084\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9abr-JaYAEf7R1.jpg 1274w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9abr-JaYAEf7R1-300x255.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9abr-JaYAEf7R1-1024x871.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/G9abr-JaYAEf7R1-768x653.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1274px) 100vw, 1274px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-513085\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frozen Tether&#8217;s USDT Addresses (Source: SlowMist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While a recovery rate of 13.2% remains modest, it represents a significant capability shift: the industry can now pause or reverse portions of criminal flows when compliant intermediaries sit within the transaction path.<\/p>\n<p>Regulatory expectations have hardened accordingly. Robust Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) frameworks, tax transparency, and custody controls have moved from competitive advantages to baseline survival requirements.<\/p>\n<p>Infrastructure providers, wallet developers, and bridge operators now find themselves inside the same regulatory blast radius as exchanges.<\/p>\n<h2>The solvency test and future landscape<\/h2>\n<p>The divergence between the Bybit hack and the FTX collapse offers the most critical lesson of 2025.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, the loss of customer funds exposed a hollow balance sheet and fraud, leading to immediate insolvency. In 2025, Bybit\u2019s ability to absorb a $1.46 billion hit suggests that top-tier platforms have accumulated enough capital depth to treat massive security failures as survivable operational costs.<\/p>\n<div id=\"model-response-message-contentr_4c967236a3fc9ecf\" class=\"markdown markdown-main-panel enable-updated-hr-color\" dir=\"ltr\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p data-path-to-node=\"0\">However, this resilience comes with a caveat, as the concentration of risk has never been higher. Attackers are now targeting centralized chokepoints, and state actors are dedicating immense resources to breaching them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>For builders and businesses, the era of \u201cmove fast and break things\u201d is definitively over. Security and compliance are now thresholds for market access. Projects that cannot demonstrate strong key management, permission design, and credible AML frameworks will find themselves cut off from banking partners and users alike.<\/p>\n<p>For investors and users, the lesson is stark: passive trust is a liability. The combination of AI-driven social engineering, supply chain poisoning, and industrial-scale hacking means that capital preservation now requires active, continuous vigilance.<\/p>\n<p>2025 proved that while the crypto industry has built stronger walls, the enemies outside the gate have brought bigger battering rams.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-bottom\">\n<div class=\"post-mentions\"> <span class=\"heading\">Mentioned in this article<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Analysis,Featured,Hacks,Technology,Bybit,DeFi,hacks,phishingBybit,DeFi,hacks,phishing#Crypto #hacks #dropped #data #reveals #deadlier #financial #threat1767192079<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This year\u2019s defining security event was not a sophisticated DeFi exploit or a novel protocol failure, but the $1.46 billion theft from Bybit, a top-tier centralized exchange. That single event, attributed to sophisticated state-sponsored actors, rewrote the narrative of the year. It proved that while the frequency of attacks has dropped, the severity of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[592,62,97,598,593,596,262,594,595,597,599],"class_list":{"0":"post-5165","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ethereum","8":"tag-bybit","9":"tag-crypto","10":"tag-data","11":"tag-deadlier","12":"tag-defi","13":"tag-dropped","14":"tag-financial","15":"tag-hacks","16":"tag-phishing","17":"tag-reveals","18":"tag-threat"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v26.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Crypto hacks dropped by half in 2025, but the data reveals a much deadlier financial threat - Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bybit heist marks 2025 as a year where centralized exchanges became lucrative targets for powerful state-sponsored cybercriminals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=5165\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Crypto hacks dropped by half in 2025, but the data reveals a much deadlier financial threat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bybit heist marks 2025 as a year where centralized exchanges became lucrative targets for powerful state-sponsored cybercriminals.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=5165\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-31T14:41:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/crypto-hack-.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"\u884c\u653f\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\u884c\u653f\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=5165\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=5165\",\"name\":\"Crypto hacks dropped by half in 2025, but the data reveals a much deadlier financial threat - Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=5165#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=5165#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/crypto-hack-.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-31T14:41:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/822778c5844e0d16d43dce6630f4f1bf\"},\"description\":\"Bybit heist marks 2025 as a year where centralized exchanges became lucrative targets for powerful state-sponsored cybercriminals.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=5165#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=5165\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=5165#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/crypto-hack-.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/crypto-hack-.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=5165#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Crypto hacks dropped by half in 2025, but the data reveals a much deadlier financial threat\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/\",\"name\":\"Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis\",\"description\":\"Latest Crypto &amp; 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