CertiK Releases Skynet Report: 'Wrench Attacks' Surge 75% in 2025, Physical Violence Becomes Major Threat in Crypto Space
CertiK's Skynet Report reveals a 75% surge in "wrench attacks" in 2025, where physical violence, kidnapping, or intimidation is used to force cryptocurrency holders to surrender private keys or passwords. These attacks, which bypass technical defenses to target individuals directly, resulted in over $40.9 million in confirmed losses—a 44% year-on-year increase. Europe emerged as the highest-risk region, accounting for over 40% of incidents, with France recording the most cases.
The report highlights a trend toward increased violence, with physical assaults rising by 250%, and notes that attacks are becoming more organized, often executed by transnational criminal groups using OSINT, signal jammers, and Faraday bags. Targets have broadened from high-value individuals like executives to ordinary holders and their families.
CertiK warns that the actual scale of such attacks is likely underestimated due to low reporting rates. Recommendations include using decoy wallets, geographic separation of seed phrases, multisig mechanisms, and comprehensive security training for individuals and organizations. The study underscores that protecting people, not just assets, is critical as wrench attacks become a structured threat in the crypto ecosystem.
marsbit03/31 10:19
