This marks the fourth consecutive year losses have exceeded $1 billion, with incidents rising to 303 from 282 in 2023.
The surge comes as bitcoin soared 140% this year, surpassing $100,000 and attracting institutional investors and support from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
“As the digital asset market booms, it is typical to see the illicit use of crypto grow in tandem,” Chainalysis’ cybercrimes research lead Eric Jardine said.
Most stolen funds resulted from private key breaches, primarily targeting centralized platforms. Major hacks included $305 million from Japan’s DMM Bitcoin in May and $235 million from India’s WazirX in July.
North Korea-linked crypto theft hit a record $1.3 billion in 2024, more than doubling from last year, the report said. The UN has previously stated that cryptocurrency helps North Korea evade sanctions, a claim the country denies.
Source: Cryptocurrency - investing.com
