2025 Global Crypto Crime Surge: Hackers and Ransomware Attacks Remain Rampant
TRM Labs reports that illicit cryptocurrency transactions jumped 145% to $1.58 trillion in 2025, driven by sanctions‑evasion trades, expanded state use, and better fund‑tracing tools, while hacker attacks, scams ($350 B inflow) and ransomware activity also intensified with new variants and evolving laundering methods.
Illicit crypto transaction volume 2025
TRM Labs report shows global illicit crypto transaction volume reached $1.58 trillion in 2025, a 145 % YoY increase, reversing a decline from $860 billion in 2021 and $640 billion in 2024. Share of illicit volume in total on‑chain volume fell from 1.3 % to 1.2 %.
Drivers of the increase
Sanctions‑evasion trades surged as new sanction lists were published and tracking of sanctioned entities improved; the Russia‑linked A7 network and A7A5 stablecoin were major contributors.
Countries such as Russia, Iran and Venezuela expanded cryptocurrency use into core financial infrastructure.
Improved fund‑tracing and intelligence‑sharing tools, including TRM Labs’ platform, uncovered previously unmarked illicit flows and accelerated identification of sanctioned transactions, major hacks and black‑listed entities.
Hacking incidents
TRM Labs recorded 150 cryptocurrency hacking incidents in 2025, causing total losses of $28.7 billion. The ten largest attacks accounted for 81 % of the loss.
The most severe incident was the February 2025 Bybit breach, attributed to North Korean hackers, with an estimated loss of $14.6 billion.
Scams
Crypto‑related scams attracted $350 billion in 2025. Investment scams represented 62 % of scam inflows and included romance scams, Ponzi schemes, fake task‑farming and other tactics. The report notes increased professionalism and use of artificial‑intelligence tools by scam operators.
Ransomware
Crypto inflows linked to ransomware remained high but did not reach previous peaks. Although the number of victim organisations set a record, many victims are now refusing to pay ransom.
The ransomware ecosystem showed unprecedented fragmentation, with 161 new active ransomware variants emerging in 2025, bringing the total number of variants to 93.
Money‑laundering techniques shifted: cryptocurrency mixer usage fell 37 %, while cross‑chain bridge and routing tool usage rose 66 %.
Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/crypto-wallets-received-a-record-158-billion-in-illicit-funds-last-year/
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