According to a report by Covers, hackers stole $2.3 billion worth of cryptocurrency in 2024, which is 40% more than in 2023. The main reason for the growth was access control vulnerabilities on centralized exchanges and among cryptocurrency custodians.
Of the $2.3 billion in lost assets, 81% ($1.9 billion) were stolen through access to keys and breaches in key management systems. The rest is related to smart contract vulnerabilities, which brought hackers another $456 million.
Experts warn that the industry needs to strengthen protection through improved private key management, the use of offline storage, and the introduction of real-time threat monitoring systems.