The losses against hacks, exploits and cryptographic scams increased to $ 2.47 billion in the first half of 2025, but the second quarter experienced a total number of hacks, said the blockchain security company, Certik.
More than $ 800 million was lost in 144 T2 incidents, a decrease of 52% of the lost value compared In the previous quarter with 59 less hacking incidents, Certik said In a report Tuesday.
In total, the first half of 2025 experienced more than $ 2.47 billion in losses due to hacks, scams and exploits, representing an increase of almost 3% compared to the $ 2.4 billion stolen in 2024.
However, given that more than $ 187 million returned to the first half of the year, Certik said the total adjusted total was closer to $ 2.2 billion.
Several losses of two incidents
Despite the point of losses, Certik said that “does not necessarily suggest a deterioration of the security landscape” because the share of lion’s losses came from two incidents against Crypto Exchange bybit and Cetus Protocol worth $ 1.78 billion combined.
The attackers exploited the vulnerabilities in the cold portfolio infrastructure of Bybit, siphoning $ 1.5 billion in ether (ETH) on February 21, while the Cetu protocol, the main decentralized exchange on the AU blockchain, underwent a hacking of $ 225 million on May 22.
“Without these events, total losses in 2025 would amount to $ 690 million, which indicates that the wider trend may not be as serious as raw figures,” said Certik.
Phishing attacks overvoltage, Ethereum has targeted
Phishing is currently representing the largest number of security incidents so far this year, with 132 security incidents and $ 410 million stolen.
Overall, portfolio compromises were the most expensive attack vector in the first half of 2025, with more than $ 1.7 billion stolen on 34 incidents, according to the report.
“As phishing campaigns are becoming more and more misleading, it is essential that users adopt solid safety habits: avoid clicking on unknown links, check the authenticity of the domain, allow multifactive authentication and consider using material portfolios for key storage,” said Certik.
Ethereum blockchain was one of the most popular targets, representing 70 hacks, scams and exploits compared to 98 in the first quarter.
“The domination of Ethereum in decentralized finance and intelligent contractual activity makes it an attractive target, with billions of dollars locked in protocols,” said Certik in his security report for the first quarter.
Rigorous safety standards necessary for the future
Beyond security incidents, Certik said that the first half of 2025 has been marked by major regulatory and market developments that “will probably shape the future of industry”.
In the United States, President Donald Trump sparked reforms at Securities and Exchange Commission, which saw the agency abandon numerous measures responsible for the law against cryptographic companies and implement other laws related to crypto.
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Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Legislative Council adopted a bill on stables, paving the way to a regulated framework and the union’s regulatory framework for Crypto, Mica, came into force on December 30.
“Together, these developments indicate both an increasing institutional interest and a maturation regulatory environment,” said Certik.
“While new capital and participants flow in space, the maintenance of rigorous security standards will be more important than ever,” added the company.
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