Crypto heist proceeds exceed $2B amid more attacks

Threat actors were able to pilfer $2.2 billion worth of cryptocurrency from more than 300 heists of cryptocurrency platforms this year, representing a more than 21% increase in stolen assets over 2023, which had 282 crypto theft incidents, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

While crypto platforms had already lost $1.5 billion during the first seven months of 2024, cryptocurrency heists have significantly dropped in frequency and size after separate intrusions against DMM Bitcoin and WazirX, which have resulted in losses amounting to $305 million and almost $235 million, respectively, according to a report from Chainalysis. Moreover, North Korean threat actors — which continued to dominate cryptocurrency theft after stealing $1.35 billion across 47 intrusions, compared with $660.5 million exfiltrated across 20 incidents last year — were observed to have conducted significantly fewer attacks against crypto platforms following a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June.