The security situation in the crypto industry continues to worsen in 2025. The latest hacker attack data shows a new high in theft scale—over $2.02 billion in crypto assets stolen this year alone, a more than 50% increase quarter-over-quarter. Even more concerning is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. In the long term, the total amount stolen has surpassed $6.75 billion.

Attackers' strategies are also constantly evolving. They no longer rely on large-scale brute-force attacks but instead turn to more precise and efficient methods. By planting IT personnel within crypto service companies or executing complex impersonation scams against executives, hackers achieve greater gains with fewer attacks. This shift reflects an increasing level of professionalism among adversaries.

In terms of money laundering tools, hackers show a clear preference. Chinese money laundering platforms, cross-chain bridging services, and mixing protocols are their top choices. Interestingly, from major theft events to complete money laundering, the entire cycle takes about 45 days. This time window provides opportunities for tracking and interception.

Retail users have also suffered unprecedented blows. In 2025, personal wallet theft incidents surged to 158,000 cases, involving 80,000 users. Although the scale of individual thefts decreased compared to 2024 ($713 million), the explosive growth in incident frequency is itself a warning sign.

However, there are some positive signals. Despite the total locked value in the DeFi ecosystem increasing, losses from hacker attacks over the past two years have remained relatively low. This indicates that security measures are beginning to have a tangible effect, with protocol upgrades and user education investments starting to pay off. Nonetheless, the industry must remain vigilant, as security construction remains a heavy and ongoing task.