"Crypto Heists Surge in 2023, $16.93m Already Stolen in 2024"

According to security researchers at Comparitech, crypto heists increased in volume by 42% in 2023, with 283 incidents.  This compares to 199 crypto theft incidents in 2022.  However, the total monetary value stolen in 2023 fell by 51% from $3.55bn in 2022 to $1.75bn.  The researchers noted that worryingly, $16.93m of crypto has already been stolen in 2024 as of January 15.  This is double the $8.37m stolen throughout January 2023.  During their study, the researchers also found that the number of rug pulls and scams carried out in 2023 declined by 25% compared to 2022, from 365 to 273.  The value of cryptocurrency lost in these scams also fell by half in the same period, from $1.2bn in 2022 to $656m in 2023.  Rug pulls are incidents where the founders of new crypto tokens or non-fungible tokens (NFTs) pull out before the project is fully built.  Scams cover incidents like Ponzi schemes, honeypots, and impersonations of other coins.  The researchers noted that one factor that may explain the significant reduction in stolen crypto money is the fall in the value of decentralized finance (DeFi) last year.

Infosecurity Magazine reports: "Crypto Heists Surge in 2023, $16.93m Already Stolen in 2024"