Crypto Hacks Shift Toward Social Engineering in 2025
Hackers in the crypto world are changing course, moving away from exploiting smart contracts and turning their focus toward tricking users directly.
According to Web3 security firm CertiK, the bulk of the $2.1 billion lost in crypto hacks so far in 2025 has come from phishing schemes and compromised wallets.
Instead of targeting protocol vulnerabilities, attackers are now using deceptive tactics to steal private keys and access user funds. CertiK co-founder Ronghui Gu told Cointelegraph during a June 2 X Spaces session that this shift highlights a growing trend: human behavior is now the primary attack surface, not the code.
Since 2024, phishing scams have become the most damaging attack vector, costing the industry…
