The cryptocurrency market lost a record $ 3 billion due to hacker attacks

In 2024, the cryptocurrency industry suffered losses of more than $ 3 billion due to the activities of criminals. This is 15% more than in 2023, when the losses reached $ 2.61 billion, according to data from the analytical company PeckShield.

Among the recorded cases, more than $ 2.15 billion of losses were due to hacker attacks, and another $ 834.5 million were the result of fraudulent schemes. The Ethereum blockchain ETH $2,434.45 Ethereum -0.80% Market capitalization $293.79 billion VOL. 24 hours $0.78 billion was the main target, accounting for 47.3% of stolen funds and 34.8% of attacks. Bitcoin ranked second in terms of total losses (14.6%) and fourth in terms of attacks (3.6%).

The biggest incidents of the year included:

• The hack of the Bitcoin DMM, which caused $ 305 million in losses.
• Attack on PlayDapp with losses of $ 290 million.
• Hacking of the Indian exchange WazirX, which lost about $ 230 million.

DeFi projects remain the main target for hackers, accounting for 53.5% of total losses. The number of exploits related to user errors in cybersecurity and private key management has also increased — from 33% in 2023 to 44% in 2024.

At the same time, some of the stolen assets were recovered: approximately $ 488.5 million was recovered.