SlowMist reports higher crypto losses in 2025 despite fewer incidents, as sophisticated attacks and regulatory pressure reshape blockchain security.
Ethereum emerged as the most affected blockchain in 2025 as crypto-related losses surged sharply. Although total security incidents decreased, damage to finances rose considerably throughout ecosystems. Moreover, the attackers became more professional, increasing the magnitude and impact of every breach.
Crypto Losses Surge Despite Fewer Attacks
According to SlowMist, there were approximately 200 blockchain security incidents in 2025 during the year. Total losses amounted to around $2.935 billion in the entire crypto industry. By comparison, 2024 experienced 410 incidents with losses of nearly $2.013 billion.
Ethereum suffered the biggest losses and lost around $254 million over the year. Meanwhile, the losses of BNB Smart Chain were around $21.93 million. Solana came second with estimated losses of $17.45 million.
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Other ecosystems were likewise significantly exposed all year round. Arbitrum has lost almost $17.10 million, according to SlowMist data. These figures shed light on how the multi-chain adoption raised the overall attack surface.
Decentralized finance was the most targeted sector by volume. DeFi accounted for 126 incidents, which is about 63 percent of overall incidents. However, total losses related to DeFi were close to $649 million.
Whereas centralized platforms had only 12 major incidents. Despite a decrease in frequency, losses from centralized platforms hit around $1.809 billion. Notably, one incident of the Bybit hack alone accounted for approximately $1.46 billion.
SlowMist emphasized that fewer incidents no longer imply less overall risk. Instead, attackers targeted high-value targets and complex exploits. As a result, each successful attack had more financial impact.
Smart contract vulnerabilities were a constant problem throughout 2025. SlowMist recorded 56 incidents of smart contract exploits. Additionally, there were about 50 cases of account compromises between wallets and exchanges.
Evolving Threats and Regulatory Pressure in 2025
Blockchain security threats became more advanced as 2025 progressed. Professional hacker groups – including the ones that are linked to DPRK – expanded their activities. These groups used industrialised attack and laundering processes.
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Ransomware-as-a-service and malware-as-a-service models lowered the barriers of entry for the attackers. As a result, the supply chains of cybercrimes grew exponentially. Several notable takedowns happened, including operations against LockBit and LummaC2.
Scam techniques also evolved a great deal throughout the year. Phishing attacks are multi-stage and very deceptive. Victims were often tricked into completing the thefts themselves by fake safeguards and prompts.
Social engineering depended a lot on trust manipulation and emotional pressure. Attackers employed identity spoofing, bogus interviews, and hardware wallet scams. AI-assisted interactions brought more realism and success rates.
Supply chain attacks increased with the use of poisoned open source libraries and developer tools. A single broken dependency usually affects many downstream projects. This added a great deal of systemic risk to the Web3 development.
Malicious browser extensions also contributed significantly to the 2025. High-privilege extensions were exploited to access sensitive data and assets. Users were often not aware of this until funds were already drained.
Ponzi schemes were floating around under new names, like blockchain finance or big data platforms. These schemes often incorporated the use of stablecoin deposits and referral incentives. As a result, scams were industrialized rather than opportunistic.
Authorities Recover $387M in Stolen Crypto During 2025
Enforcement of regulations reached a higher level throughout 2025 across the world. Authorities moved from warnings to a direct intervention and enforcement action. Targets broadened beyond exchanging to infrastructure providers and individual addresses on the chain.
Tether froze USDT on 576 Ethereum addresses that were associated with illicit activities. Similarly, Circle froze USDC in 214 Ethereum addresses. These actions reflected increased coordination between issuers and regulators.
In 18 major incidents, an estimated $387 million of stolen money was frozen or recovered. This accounted for a recovery rate of close to 13.2 percent. SlowMist helped recover or freeze directly about $19.29 million.
Underground laundering rings continued adapting to ignore enforcement pressure. DPRK-linked groups increasingly employed outsourcing structures for obscuring the flow of funds. Privacy tools and coin mixers continued to be key to laundering schemes.
However, regulators began making the separation between privacy technology and criminal behavior. Enforcement was increasingly aimed at misuse rather than outright bans. This was a move towards more subtle regulatory strategies.
SlowMist arrived at the conclusion that 2025 was a turning point for blockchain security and compliance. Attacks became more professional, and enforcement became strengthened around the world. DeFi permission issues, private key leaks, and social engineering soared.
Source: https://www.livebitcoinnews.com/ethereum-tops-2025-crypto-losses-with-254m-slowmist-finds/
