Cryptocurrency hackers stole over $ 1 billion from DeFi platforms

According to the SlowMist report, more than $ 1 billion was stolen from DeFi decentralized control platforms in 2022 — all due to hacker attacks. A billion is a figure proved by the report’s authors, which may actually be much higher.

As it became known, in many cases, hackers acted according to a standard scheme: stealing funds — laundering the proceeds through a cryptocurrency mixer. The privacy of mixing services such as Tornado Cash makes them attractive to fraudsters (most servers never require KYC).

According to analysts, hackers managed to get 1.043 billion in revenue as a result of attacks on inter-chain bridge protocols. Thus, the cyberattack on the Ronin sidechain cost Axie Infinity Sky Mavis Inc, the game developer, and players about $ 625 million in total losses. The North Korean hacker group Lazarus Group is suspected of the hijacking, which took place in March. Also, it has recently become known that hackers were able to steal funds thanks to spyware downloaded by one of Axie Infinity developers.