Decentralized-Scale Hacking

? New Findings from TRM Labs and Chainalysis

Criminals laundered $21.8 billion through DeFi protocols in the first half of 2025. Decentralized finance is increasingly used not for innovation, but for plain old money laundering.

Funds were stolen through hacking attacks, many of which exploited infrastructure vulnerabilities (seed phrases, frontend flaws), accounting for about 10% of all crypto thefts during this period.

Chainalysis reports $2.17 billion in stolen funds from crypto services in H1 2025. The ByBit hack alone – attributed to North Korea – totaled $1.5 billion, making it the largest ever recorded!

What users and platforms should do:

• Use multi-factor authentication
  
  Store assets in cold wallets
  
  Conduct regular audits
  
  Educate themselves on phishing and social engineering protection
• Services must enhance anti-crime measures, monitor transactions, implement risk analysis tools, and cooperate with authorities.

? Conclusions:

• 2025 might become the most dangerous year in crypto-mining history.
• Decentralized protocols have become the favorite route for money laundering, demanding new approaches to regulation and cybersecurity.
• The market faces major changes: stronger oversight, DeFi infrastructure upgrades, and close collaboration with law enforcement.