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As the global cryptocurrency market experiences rapid growth, the secure storage of cryptocurrencies becomes a critical aspect. Over the past year, the cryptocurrency industry has gradually recovered from scandals and market crashes in 2022, and market enthusiasm is on the rise. Simultaneously, cybercrimes related to cryptocurrencies are becoming active again.
According to the latest "2024 Cryptocurrency Crime Report" from cryptocurrency tracking company Chainalysis, the value of cryptocurrencies extorted from victims by ransomware alone exceeded $1 billion, compared to $567 million in 2022.
Statistics show that 70% of cryptocurrency scams, 83% of cryptocurrency payments to sanctioned countries like Iran and Russia, and 84% of cryptocurrency transactions to individuals and companies under special sanctions used cryptocurrencies in the past year. Between 2022 and 2023, the cumulative amount of illegal stablecoin transactions reached a staggering $40 billion.
Key Trends in 2023 Cryptocurrency Crime:
1. Cryptocurrency fraud and theft revenues significantly decreased by 29.2% and 54.3%, respectively.
2. Income from ransomware and dark web markets increased against the trend in 2023.
3. Transactions related to sanctions experienced a massive surge, reaching 61.5% of all reported illegal transaction volumes.
These trends are likely to continue in 2024. While a decrease in fraud and theft income might seem positive, it results from hackers finding it harder to conceal their tracks. Significant decreases in DeFi hacking activities contribute to the drop in theft income, indicating progress in the security of DeFi projects. However, the report highlights that theft amounts can be easily influenced by individual major events, potentially altering the overall trend.
The resurgence of dark web market income raises concerns, with the industry approaching its peak revenue of 2021 in 2023.
The report identifies criminal groups such as Alphv/Blackcat, Clop, Play, LockBit, BlackBasta, Royal, Ransomhouse, and Dark Angels as the most rampant ransomware actors in 2023. They employed different strategies to extort significant ransoms, leading to frequent security incidents in the cryptocurrency network.
Cryptocurrency Exchanges Targeted by Hackers:
1. Bitrue Hack (April): Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitrue suffered a hack, with attackers stealing over $24 million. This was not Bitrue's first hacking incident; a previous attack in 2019 resulted in a loss of over $4 million.
2. CoinsPaid Hack (July): Estonia-based cryptocurrency payment service provider CoinsPaid faced a cyber attack, with the Lazarus hacking group stealing cryptocurrencies worth $37.2 million. Lazarus has a history of stealing over $3 billion in cryptocurrencies over the past six years.
3. HTX Trading Platform Hack (November): HTX exchange platform and Heco Chain blockchain protocol were targeted by hackers, resulting in the theft of virtual currency assets worth around $115 million. HTX pledged full compensation for the losses and temporarily suspended deposit and withdrawal services.
Cryptocurrency Attack Techniques:
Cryptocurrency attackers employ various methods, including exploiting app vulnerabilities, phishing attacks, malware distribution, SMS verification interception, Wi-Fi vulnerabilities, and clone websites for phishing.
Despite the risks, the cryptocurrency industry is actively implementing measures such as KYC (Know Your Customer), AML (Anti-Money Laundering) regulations, two-factor authentication, cold storage, blockchain analysis, and bug bounty programs to protect users and maintain trust in the digital asset ecosystem.
In conclusion, as the cryptocurrency market recovers and gains momentum in 2024, regulatory efforts, increased security awareness, and robust technical protection measures are crucial to ensuring the stable development of the entire cryptocurrency ecosystem. Users are encouraged to adopt security measures like encryption, antivirus software, and multi-factor authentication, while also enhancing their understanding of preventive measures and basic security knowledge. |
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Post time 13-3-2024 20:19:17
