Bybit Ethereum Heist Propels Record $2.1 Billion in Crypto Stolen by Hackers So Far in 2025

Hackers have stolen $2.1 billion in crypto, a report excessive within the first half of 2025, with North Korean-sponsored actors accounting for 70% of the losses, a report launched Friday by blockchain intelligence supplier TRM Labs reveals. 

The whole quantity was 10% greater than the earlier excessive set in 2022, in accordance with “H1 2025 Crypto Hacks and Exploits: A New Report Amid Evolving Threats,” which famous that North Korean teams had been allegedly behind $1.6 billion of the stolen crypto. 

TRM mentioned that North Korea has cemented its “place as probably the most prolific nation-state menace actor within the crypto house.” 

“Thefts function a important device of statecraft” for the nation, the report added. 

The massive sum of swiped funds within the first half of this 12 months was pushed by the practically $1.5 billion February theft of Ethereum and Ethereum-related belongings from crypto change Bybit—the biggest hack within the crypto business’s historical past. 

Multi-signature pockets supplier Protected mentioned the heist stemmed from a compromised developer laptop computer. An investigation discovered {that a} high-level Protected developer’s workstation was compromised on February 4 when it interacted with a malicious docker challenge, or light-weight utility.



Authorities accused North Korean hackers for the exploit of the Dubai-based change—and TRM Labs reached the identical conclusion. 

“The February 2025 Bybit breach… reshaped the narrative for the 12 months, inflating common hack measurement and underscoring the strategic use of cybercrime by nation-states,” the report famous. 

U.S. authorities have lengthy alleged that North Korea’s closely sanctioned authorities makes use of hackers to steal crypto and fund its nuclear program. 

Main crypto hacks have usually been traced again to the nation, which is run by dictator Kim Jong Un. 

TRM Labs mentioned that crypto hacks more and more seem “symbolic or strategic somewhat than financially motivated, highlighting a shift in how crypto crime is weaponized.”

The report additional added that 80% of losses this 12 months had been resulting from infrastructure assaults, the place hackers get management of personal keys and seed phrases. 

Edited by James Rubin