Key Takeaways
- Hackers stole over $2.1 billion in Bitcoin so far in 2025.
- CertiK says phishing and wallet compromise are now the main attack vectors.
- The Bybit hack in February alone accounted for $1.4 billion in losses.
More than $2.1 billion worth of Bitcoin has been stolen in 2025, with hackers increasingly targeting users instead of code vulnerabilities, according to cybersecurity firm CertiK.
Causes of Bitcoin losses
Ronghui Gu, co-founder of CertiK, said during a June 2 interview on Cointelegraph’s Chain Reaction show that…
… the majority of this $2.1 billion was caused by wallet compromises, key mismanagement, and operational issues.
Phishing scams as a major threat
CertiK data reveals that phishing scams—social engineering attacks using fake links to steal private wallet keys—have overtaken smart contract exploits as the top threat.
In 2024, such phishing attacks accounted for over $1 billion in losses across 296 incidents.
High-profile incidents
A high-profile example occurred in April 2025 when $330.7 million in Bitcoin was stolen from the wallet of an elderly U.S. individual through a social engineering scheme.
Shift in attack strategies
Gu emphasized that attackers always target the weakest point, which has shifted from smart contracts to human error.
He said:
Now the attackers feel like the weakest points may come from human behavior rather than the code.
The Bybit exchange hack
The most damaging event this year remains the $1.4 billion hack of Bybit exchange in February, attributed to North Korea’s Lazarus Group.
That single incident accounted for over 60% of the total value stolen in 2025.
Recommendations for future security
CertiK advises increased investment in wallet security, real-time transaction monitoring, and better access control to combat future threats.
