Cryptocurrency hackers change tactics in 2025: Steal funds fast, launder money slowly

A recent report released by “Global Ledger” shows that hacking operations in the digital currency market resulted in the theft of more than $4 billion through 255 hacking incidents during 2025, which represents a continuation of high levels of digital crime.

But what is most dangerous, the report says, is not just the scale of the losses, but changes in the way money is laundered, which creates delays and complex risks for brokers and trading platforms.

Unlike before, hackers are no longer looking to liquidate funds quickly.

While funds are transferred immediately after a breach (76% of transfers occur within seconds and before the attack is publicly announced), the money laundering process is deliberately slowed down, lasting days or even weeks.

This approach reduces the chance of early intervention and makes it more difficult to detect risks.

The report pointed out that the average time required to reach the “liquefaction” stage has risen to more than 9 days, and pirates rely on multiple paths such as cross-chain bridges and privacy tools, resulting in fragmented capital flows and complicated tracking.

Most worryingly, approximately $2 billion in funds stolen in 2025 still remain in wallets associated with the attackers, posing the potential threat described in the report.

These illicit assets may then be returned to regulated platforms, presenting compliance teams with late-stage challenges that traditional real-time scanning systems cannot detect.

The report also monitors changes in washing tools. More than $2.01 billion passed through the bridge, and Tornado Cash saw strong returns after sanctions were lifted in March 2025, with Tornado Cash used in approximately 75% of hacks involving mixers in the second half of the year.

For brokers and trading platforms, these developments mean that static blacklists are no longer enough.

Risk is no longer just immediate but deferred and cumulative, requiring ongoing, dynamic monitoring of the path of funds and advanced capabilities to track behavior over time.

Also read:

$730 Billion Evaporated in 100 Days: Why Are Altcoins Crash Faster Than Bitcoin?

Coinbase President: Quantum computing won’t disrupt blockchain…the industry is ready to upgrade