According to Atlas VPN, the number of hacks of cryptocurrency services in the first half of 2020 decreased three times compared to the same period last year.
Atlas VPN experts calculated that over the entire history of the crypto industry, hackers managed to steal more than $ 13.6 billion. Despite the fact that fewer hacker attacks were made on cryptocurrency wallets, they turned out to be the most profitable. Over the past eight years, wallet operators have faced 36 hacks, resulting in losses of $ 7.1 billion.On cryptocurrency exchanges, cybercriminals carried out a total of 87 successful attacks, during which they stole $ 4.8 billion.
The most successful in terms of number were attacks on decentralized applications on the EOS blockchain – they accounted for 36% of all hacker attacks in the blockchain industry. In aggregate, the losses of such applications as a result of hacks amounted to $ 28.2 million. The actions of cybercriminals and decentralized applications on Ethereum could not be avoided – 33 successful attacks were carried out on them, losses amounted to $ 364.3 million. Decentralized applications based on Tron also became a target for hackers. Cybercriminals carried out 21 successful attacks on such applications, earning $ 1.22 million.
In addition, attacks were carried out on various blockchains. Since 2012, blockchains have suffered from 28 hacks, during which criminals earned $ 45.8 million. The most attractive networks for hackers were Bitcoin Gold and Litecoin Cash.
According to Atlas VPN, 2019 was a record year for the number of hacks in the cryptocurrency industry. In the first half of last year, 94 hacker attacks were successful, and in total, 133 attacks were carried out in 2019. However, in the first half of 2020, this figure dropped significantly to 33 attacks. Experts have suggested that even if attackers continue to operate with the same efficiency until the end of the year, the number of hacks will still not reach the “record” of last year.
Recall that recently, criminals attacked the Harvest Finance decentralized finance protocol and were able to withdraw $ 25 million worth of crypto assets. This led to a record increase in daily trading volumes on the DeFi exchanges. In addition, in September, the Slovak cryptocurrency exchange Eterbase suffered from a hacker attack, the total damage of which is estimated at $ 5.3 million.
