Cybercriminals stole an estimated $2.7 billion worth of cryptocurrency in 2025, marking the highest annual total ever recorded for crypto-related hacks, according to leading blockchain monitoring firms. The surge was driven largely by a massive breach at Dubai-based crypto exchange Bybit, which alone accounted for nearly half of the year’s losses.
Read More: North Korea tops Global Crypto hacks with $2 billion stolen in 2025
The Bybit attack, in which hackers made off with approximately $1.4 billion in digital assets, has been described as the largest known crypto heist in history and among the biggest financial robberies of any kind. Blockchain analysis firms and the FBI have attributed the breach to North Korean state-linked hackers, who have emerged as the most prolific crypto thieves in recent years.
Data compiled by Chainalysis and TRM Labs shows that total crypto losses from hacks reached $2.7bn in 2025, surpassing previous records. Chainalysis also reported an additional $700,000 stolen directly from individual crypto wallets, highlighting ongoing vulnerabilities beyond major exchanges. The Web3 security firm behind the REKT database independently arrived at a similar estimate, reinforcing the scale of the problem.
North Korean hacking groups were responsible for an estimated $2bn of the stolen funds this year alone, according to Chainalysis and Elliptic. Since 2017, these groups are believed to have siphoned off nearly $6bn in cryptocurrency, funds that Western governments say are used to support Pyongyang’s sanctioned nuclear weapons programme.
Several other high-profile breaches added to the tally in 2025. Hackers stole $223m from decentralized exchange Cetus, $128m from Ethereum-based protocol Balancer, and more than $73m from crypto exchange Phemex. These incidents underline the persistent risks facing both centralized platforms and decentralized finance projects.
Read More: Losses from crypto hacks surged 60pc to $1.9b in Jan-July
The record losses follow a worrying upward trend. Cybercriminals stole $2.2bn in crypto in 2024, up from $2bn in 2023, suggesting that despite improved security measures, the crypto industry remains a prime target for increasingly sophisticated attacks.