Cyberattacks 2025: The Race Against Time to Protect Cryptocurrencies

By 2025, cyberattacks will accelerate, laundering funds in seconds. Ledger analyzes the threats and how Secure Element technology protects digital assets

In the first half of 2025, cybercriminals have stolen more than $3 billion in cryptocurrency through 119 hacks, a figure that exceeds the losses for the whole of 2024 by 1.55 times. A revealing report by Global Ledger highlights the breakneck speed of these attacks: in the fastest case, the funds were moved just 4 seconds after the breach, and in 23% of incidents, the money laundering was completed before the public even knew about the hack.

This unprecedented acceleration is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape and demands equally agile defensive measures.

Speed as a Primary Weapon

The window of opportunity for victims and platforms to react has been reduced to almost zero. The data from Global Ledger's Gone Fast report for the first half of 2025 is compelling: 68% of hacks move funds before any public alert is issued on social media.

The sophistication of attackers is such that bridges (between blockchains) have surpassed mixers as the preferred laundering method, being used 4.4 times more in recent incidents. This speed, combined with the difficulty of tracking funds, means that less than 5% of stolen funds are recovered.

Social Engineering and AI: The Human Trap

Faced with this reality, experts point out that the battle is no longer fought solely in code, but in human psychology. Social engineering attacks, which exploit trust and urgency, top the list of the most successful attack vectors.

"Social engineers technically manipulate human weaknesses, such as curiosity, greed, and fear, to deceive their victims," explains the team at Ledger Academy, the educational arm of the world's leading cryptocurrency cold wallet company.

These attacks have evolved from simple phishing techniques to more advanced, precise, and personalized approaches, often using AI-generated deepfakes that are virtually indistinguishable from real content. One example was the attack on Coinbase in May 2025, where insiders were bribed to steal data and subsequently stole more than $45 million.

Shielding Assets: Beyond Passwords

In this scenario, protecting cryptocurrencies requires security that goes beyond a password. Experts at Ledger emphasize that the critical layer of defense lies in the hardware. "Without a Secure Element, critical information (such as PIN codes or even private keys) can be extracted much more easily," they warn.

The Secure Element, a military-grade secure chip used in passports and credit cards, is essential for generating and storing private keys in isolation.

This component is specifically designed with complex countermeasures that protect against a wide range of sophisticated attacks, such as side-channel and fault attacks, which could be used to steal sensitive information directly from the chip.

Towards Urgent Cyber Resilience

The convergence of these factors is redefining the digital security ecosystem. The adoption of strategies such as Zero Trust, which continuously verifies each access, and the automation of responses, which no longer relies on trust, are changing the landscape. (Zero Trust), which permanently verifies each access, and the automation of responses are no longer projections for the future, but essential realities for organizations and individuals to face the future with strength. 

The final recommendation from the spokespersons is clear: "Always verify email addresses, accounts, and channels on the platform's official websites."

In an era where money laundering can occur in seconds, prevention and thorough verification remain the most powerful tools for protecting digital assets.