Cryptocurrency hacking losses decreased by more than 60% in December 2025 compared to the previous month. While this decrease is attributed to a decrease in large-scale crimes, losses still amount to tens of millions of dollars, requiring investor caution.
According to blockchain security firm PeckShield, cryptocurrency hacking losses in December totaled approximately $76 million (approximately KRW 109.9 billion). This represents a more than 60% decrease from the $194 million (approximately KRW 280.5 billion) in losses in November. PeckShield also said it tracked a total of 26 major hacking incidents during this period.
Address Poisoning: A Single Fraud Scheme Causes $50 Million in Losses
The largest losses came from "address poisoning" scams. This tactic preys on user error, where attackers create fake addresses that are nearly identical to real wallet addresses, tricking senders into mistakenly sending funds. The December attack resulted in approximately $50 million in losses.
Experts believe this method poses a threat not because of technical flaws, but because it preys on human psychology and carelessness. For investors who frequently make large trades, even the smallest mistake can lead to significant losses.
Trust Wallet and Multi-Signature Wallet were also hacked.
Another factor behind the hack was a technical vulnerability. At Trust Wallet, a security vulnerability in a browser extension resulted in losses of approximately $7 million (approximately 10.1 billion won). Some victims are currently in negotiations for compensation.
Another incident involved a private key leak from a multi-signature wallet. Approximately $27 million (approximately 39 billion won) was lost, demonstrating that even with enhanced wallet security, a simple flaw like private key exposure can have devastating consequences.
Technical issues related to the FLOW protocol also resulted in damages of approximately $3.9 million (approximately 5.6 billion won).
Hacking methods evolve despite security improvements.
Industry experts explain that this decline in damage does not reflect a disappearance of threats. While enhanced security by asset custody institutions and wallet platforms, as well as increased hacking detection efforts, have contributed, they point out that more sophisticated attack methods still exist.
The decrease in damages in December was the result of a smaller number of major incidents, but it does not mean the overall hacking environment has become safer. In particular, social engineering-based fraud and advanced intrusion techniques remain ongoing.
Accordingly, industry platforms and regulators are being asked to proactively respond and swiftly address major hacking incidents. Exchanges and wallet service providers are under increasing pressure to take faster action after detection.
Article Summary by TokenPost.ai
๐ Market Interpretation
While the decrease in hacking damage in December 2025 was due to a decrease in major incidents, hacking techniques themselves are evolving. As scams increasingly target users' carelessness, personal security awareness becomes increasingly important.
๐ก Strategy Points
Even a simple address verification error can result in losses of hundreds of millions of won. Not only users of large platforms but also individual investors should consider implementing multiple verification procedures, using offline wallets, and developing a habit of storing addresses.
๐ Glossary
Address poisoning: A fraudulent method that creates similar addresses to induce users to make mistakes when sending money.
- Multi-signature wallet: A wallet type that requires multiple signatures to transfer funds.
- Private key: Sensitive information that acts as a password required to access the wallet.
๐ก Want to know more? AI-prepared questions for you:
A. This is thanks to the decline in large-scale attacks. Strengthened security measures and measures taken by wallet providers also had some impact.
A. This was a case where approximately $50 million was stolen through an address poisoning scam. The scam involved tricking users into misrepresenting their wallet addresses.
A. An attack exploiting a vulnerability in the Trust Wallet browser resulted in approximately $7 million in losses, and a leak of private keys to multi-signature wallets resulted in $27 million in losses.
A. Always carefully check your wallet address before copying and pasting it, and it is recommended to store important assets in a hardware wallet or similar.
A. The importance of social engineering techniques is increasing. Rather than complex attacks, more and more methods are targeting user mistakes or psychological factors.
TP AI Precautions
This article was summarized using a TokenPost.ai-based language model. Key points in the text may be omitted or inaccurate.
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