Over 80 Million Crypto Users Exposed Amid Rising Wrench Attacks in 2025
Alena Vranova, founder of SatoshiLabs, sounded the alarm at the 2025 Baltic Honeybadger conference in Riga...
Quick overview
- Alena Vranova warned at the Baltic Honeybadger conference about the rise of wrench attacks targeting crypto holders.
- At least one crypto holder is attacked weekly, with incidents involving kidnappings for as little as $6,000.
- Data breaches from centralized exchanges expose sensitive personal information, increasing risks for crypto investors.
- Experts advise crypto holders to enhance personal safety by keeping holdings private and using secure storage methods.
Alena Vranova, founder of SatoshiLabs, sounded the alarm at the 2025 Baltic Honeybadger conference in Riga, Latvia, about the growing danger facing Bitcoin and crypto holders. She revealed a surge in wrench attacks — violent crimes including kidnappings and physical assaults to steal private keys. No crypto investor is safe, regardless of the size of their holdings.
Key points:
- At least one crypto holder is targeted per week worldwide.
- Even $6,000 in crypto has led to kidnappings and extortion.
- Murder for $50,000 in crypto has been reported.
This is happening as Bitcoin’s price goes up and shows no signs of slowing down.
Centralized Data Breaches Make It Worse
Data breaches from centralized crypto exchanges and platforms make it worse. Under regulatory Know Your Customer (KYC) rules, many exchanges store sensitive personal info, including home addresses, which has been compromised in many breaches. Vranova said over 80 million crypto users’ identities are exposed online, 2.2 million with exact residential info.
Recent incidents:
- Coinbase disclosed a breach in May 2025 leaking some customer addresses.
- Cybernews reported 16 billion leaked login credentials from major tech companies like Apple and Google.
These breaches give criminals the information they need to target phishing, social engineering, hacking and identity theft attacks on crypto assets.
Personal Safety Tips for Crypto Investors
With the rise of violent crimes against crypto holders, personal safety is crucial — even for smaller portfolios. Experts recommend:
- Don’t share your crypto holdings or wallet details publicly.
- Use hardware wallets stored offline.
- Strong, unique passwords with 2FA.
- Be aware of phishing attempts and unsolicited contacts.
- Limit sharing of personal info on social media and crypto forums.
As the crypto market grows, so does the need for personal security to protect your digital wealth from increasingly aggressive attacks.
- Check out our free forex signals
- Follow the top economic events on FX Leaders economic calendar
- Trade better, discover more Forex Trading Strategies
- Open a FREE Trading Account
Save