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Crypto Theft Plunges in December as 2025 Phishing Tally Falls Sharply

The decline reflects fewer headline heists during a cooler market, not lasting security gains.

Overview

  • PeckShield counted roughly 26 major exploits in December with losses down about 60% month over month to around $76 million.
  • The month’s biggest hits included a $50 million address‑poisoning theft, a $27.3 million loss from a multi‑sig private‑key leak, and a $7 million Trust Wallet browser‑extension exploit.
  • Scam Sniffer reported wallet‑drainer phishing losses of $83.85 million across 106,106 victims in 2025, an 83% drop from 2024 with only 11 cases topping $1 million.
  • Security analysts say attackers shifted to smaller, high‑volume campaigns and rapidly weaponized features such as Permit‑style approvals and EIP‑7702 bundling.
  • U.S. prosecutors charged Ronald Spektor with a phishing scheme that allegedly stole about $16 million from roughly 100 Coinbase users, highlighting persistent social‑engineering risks.