New research from Crypto Head reveals crypto breaches and fraud increased 40.7% in 2020 from 2019, with 2021 set to break last year’s record for the number of offences.
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The study analyses significant breaches and fraud involving crypto from 2011 to 2021 to determine how much they are increasing, how much has been taken, the most valuable thefts, and the most commonly targeting countries and currencies.
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Cases Of Crypto Breaches And Fraud
| Year | Number of breaches and fraud | Average value | Total value | % increase/decrease of the number of breaches and fraud |
| 2011 | 9 | $1,091,222 | $9,821,000 | |
| 2012 | 14 | $437,929 | $6,131,000 | +55.60% |
| 2013 | 17 | $813,028 | $13,821,480 | +21.4% |
| 2014 | 13 | $48,826,538 | $634,745,000 | -23.5% |
| 2015 | 10 | $40,077,000 | $400,770,000 | -23.1% |
| 2016 | 5 | $29,453,800 | $147,269,000 | -50% |
| 2017 | 21 | $223,524,667 | $4,694,018,000 | +320% |
| 2018 | 22 | $196,434,045 | $4,321,549,000 | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 27 | $156,350,222 | $4,221,456,000 | +22.7% |
| 2020 | 38 | $46,538,500 | $1,768,463,000 | +40.7% |
| 2021 to date | 32 | $93,312,500 | $2,986,000,000 | Incomplete figures for 2021 |
- $19.2bn has been stolen via crypto breaches and fraud in the last 10 years.
- On average the number of offences grows 41% every year.
- 2017 saw hackers make the most money, stealing highs of $4.7 billion in total and $223.5 million on average.
- Bitcoin is the most targeted currency accounting for 33.3% of breaches and fraud.
The Most Targeted Countries
| Rank | Country | Number of breaches and fraud | Average value | Total value |
| 1 | United States | 17 | $47,339,529 | $804,772,000 |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 12 | $35,230,750 | $422,769,000 |
| 3 | South Korea | 9 | $18,333,333 | $165,000,000 |
| 4 | Japan | 7 | $178,542,000 | $1,249,794,000 |
| 5 | China | 6 | $168,453,500 | $1,010,721,000 |
- The United States is the most commonly targeted country with 17 breaches and fraud specifically tied to this country, followed by the United Kingdom (12), South Korea (9).
- It wasn’t the most targeted entities that suffered the most, as Turkey lost the highest sum through the Thodex scam, which saw $2 billion stolen, followed by Japan ($1.2 billion stolen in total) and China ($1 billion stolen in total).
- Though, the vast majority of cases can’t be tied to any one country as 91 breaches and fraud are ‘undefined’.
The Most Common Types Of Offences
| Rank | Type | Number | Average value | Total value |
| 1 | Breach | 126 | $24,991,559 | $3,148,936,480 |
| 2 | DeFi Breach | 41 | $26,900,634 | $1,102,926,000 |
| 2 | Fraud | 41 | $364,687,341 | $14,952,181,000 |
- The most common type of attack is breaches of wallets and exchanges, with 126 in the last ten years, which is far more than offences involving DeFi attacks and fraud (both 41).
- The largest of these breaches to date saw Mt. Gox have $615 million stolen over the years, leading to the platform ultimately becoming insolvent in 2014.
- However, it was cases of fraud that were the most lucrative for criminals, seeing perpetrators walk away with on average $365 million - over 14 times as much as breaches.
Find the research here: https://cryptohead.io/research/crypto-breaches-and-fraud/
