Asia-Pacific Faces Record Bitcoin Thefts and Deadly “Wrench Attacks”—Chainalysis

Key Points

1. A report from Chainalysis highlights a rise in 'wrench attacks,' where criminals use physical violence to steal crypto, with 35 incidents recorded globally by July 2025.

2. The Asia-Pacific region ranks second globally in Bitcoin theft and third in Ether theft, with Japan, Indonesia, and South Korea being particularly affected.

3. Chainalysis estimates over $2.17 billion has been stolen from cryptocurrency services, with large-value wallets being a primary target.

4. CertiK's midyear report for 2025 states that crypto investors lost more than $2.2 billion to hacks and scams in the first half of the year, with wallet breaches accounting for $1.7 billion.

5. Two major attacks on Bybit and Cetus Protocol accounted for $1.78 billion of the total losses, while phishing attacks resulted in over $410 million stolen across 132 cases.