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December Crypto Exploit Losses Drop 60% to $76 Million, PeckShield Says

Losses clustered in a few human-targeted incidents, highlighting user risk over protocol failures.

Overview

  • PeckShield tallied roughly 26 major exploits in December, marking a sharp month‑over‑month decline in total losses.
  • The largest single incident was an address‑poisoning scam that siphoned about $50 million by mimicking a recipient address.
  • A leaked private key tied to a multi‑signature wallet led to approximately $27.3 million in thefts.
  • A Trust Wallet browser‑extension exploit accounted for around $7 million in losses, underscoring ongoing exposure for browser‑based wallets.
  • U.S. authorities charged 23‑year‑old Ronald Spektor with stealing about $16 million from nearly 100 Coinbase users through a phishing scheme.