Hackers stole over $2.7 billion in crypto in 2025, data shows

Cybercriminals have stolen $2.7 billion worth of crypto this year, a new crypto-theft hack record, according to blockchain monitoring companies.

Once again, in 2025, dozens of cryptocurrency heists have hit several cryptocurrency exchanges and other Web3 and decentralized finance (DeFi) projects. The biggest hack by far was the breach of Dubai-based crypto exchange Bybit, where hackers stole around $1.4 billion in crypto. Blockchain analysis firmsas well as the FBIhas blamed North Korean government hackers – the most prolific group targeting crypto in recent years – for the massive heist.

This is the largest known crypto looting of all time and one of the largest financial heists in human history. Before the Bybit hack, the biggest cryptocurrency thefts had netted $624 million and $611 million for hackers in 2022 breaches. Ron’s network and the Poly Networkrespectively.

Cryptocurrency monitoring firms Chainalysis and TRM Labs have both estimated a total of $2.7 billion stolen in crypto in 2025, according to data shared with TechCrunch. Chainalysis also tracked an additional $700,000 stolen from individual crypto wallets, the company said.

De.Fi, the web3 security company that manages the RIGHT Database which tracks crypto thefts, also estimated $2.7 billion in crypto stolen and hacked last year.

As usual, North Korean government hackers have been the most successful cryptocurrency thieves throughout 2025, having stolen at least $2 billion, according to Chainalysis and Elliptic, which estimate that Kim Jong Un’s hackers have stolen around $6 billion since 2017. North Korea uses cryptocurrency theft to finance its authorized nuclear weapons program.

Other notable crypto hacks this year include one against Cetusa decentralized exchange, which made $223 million for hackers; the violation against Penduluma protocol built on the Ethereum blockchain, which resulted in a loss of $128 million; and the one against the crypto exchange Phemexwhere cybercriminals stole over $73 million.

Cybercriminals targeting crypto exchanges and other DeFi projects are not slowing down. In 2024, hackers stole $2.2 billion in cryptowhile the previous year, in 2023, the total was $2 billion.