2025 Cryptocurrency Theft Crisis: $3.4 Billion Disappeared, Centralized Exchanges Become the Biggest Vulnerability

【Crypto World】From the beginning of this year to the end of the year, the total amount stolen in cryptocurrency has already surpassed $3.41 billion, which is more than last year’s $3.38 billion. The most shocking part is that a major exchange was hacked once and lost $1.5 billion, accounting for nearly half of the total stolen amount, or 44%.

According to on-chain data tracking companies, issues of personal wallet and private key leaks are becoming increasingly serious. In 2022, such cases only accounted for 7.3% of the stolen amount, but by 2024, the proportion jumped directly to 44%. This translates to approximately 158,000 cases. People’s awareness of private key security and safety habits still seem to be a concern.

Although the DeFi ecosystem has made progress in security protection and threat response speed has improved significantly, the vulnerability of centralized services remains a major flaw. In the first quarter of 2025, losses caused by centralized exchanges and wallet services accounted for 88%. This number clearly shows that decentralization is more risk-resistant.

Additionally, attack activities related to hacker groups from a certain country have reached new highs, and it is estimated that these organizations will steal at least $2.02 billion in 2025. Their tactics mainly involve network infiltration methods, then using service platforms in specific regions for money laundering, with mature technology and clear division of labor. These data serve as a reminder that every participant in the crypto space needs to stay vigilant.