While the cybercrime story for 2022 has yet to be fully written, cryptocurrency theft will no doubt have a starring role. Buoyed by the collective pilfering of billions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency already this year, stealing more will no doubt be a top New Year’s resolution for the criminally inclined. Illicit interest in cryptocurrency continues despite fallout from the crash and burn of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, which on Nov. 11 filed for bankruptcy. Cue the value of a bitcoin plunging from a high this month of over $21,000 down to a low this week of $15,500, which is what it was worth about three years ago. But that is still a lot of value, especially for attackers who are able to steal Bitcoin, Monero, Ether and other cryptocurrency and use money-laundering tactics to convert it to a fiat currency. Count FTX among recent victims. The exchange itself was ransacked by attackers – many market watchers suspect insider involvement – as it was collapsing, with FTX tokens then worth $400 million going missing. On Sunday, blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis reported that the attacker converted about $60 million worth of stolen funds via the decentralized renBTC bridge, which can be used buy bitcoins, which were “likely to be mixed prior to a cash-out attempt”
Full analysis : Cybercrime Carnage: Cryptocurrency-Targeting Attacks Abound.