On January 3, Web3 security platform Scam Sniffer reported that losses from crypto-phishing attacks related to wallet drainers fell to approximately $83.85 million in 2025, a significant decrease of 83% from nearly $494 million in 2024; the number of victims also decreased to 106, a 68% reduction year-over-year.
However, the report points out that phishing activity has not disappeared, but is highly correlated with market cycles. In the third quarter of 2025, coinciding with Ethereum's strong rebound, phishing losses reached a peak of $31 million, accounting for nearly 29% of the year. Monthly losses were lowest in December at approximately $2.04 million, and highest in August at $12.17 million.
In terms of methods, Permit/Permit2 authorization phishing remains the most effective tool for attackers. The largest single case in 2025 occurred in September, resulting in a loss of $6.5 million. In addition, with the upgrade of Ethereum Pectra, new malicious signature attacks based on EIP-7702 have emerged rapidly, with two incidents in August causing a total loss of $2.54 million.
It's worth noting that the number of high-value cases has decreased significantly—only 11 cases of losses exceeding $1 million occurred in 2025, down from 30 in 2024. However, attackers have shifted to a "small, high-frequency" strategy, with the average loss per victim dropping to $790. Scam Sniffer concludes: "The drainer ecosystem is still operating—the old ones exit, and the new ones keep emerging."
In addition, PeckShield data shows that crypto hacking and security incidents resulted in losses of approximately $76 million in December 2025, a 60% decrease compared to the previous month, but attack activity remains frequent.
