Exploits, hacks and scams stole almost $1B in 2023: Report

cointelegraph.com:

Malicious actors targeting the crypto space have taken more than $45 million in digital assets from their victims in the month of August alone and a total of $997 million year-to-date (YTD), according to a report shared by the blockchain security firm CertiK.

In the report, CertiK highlighted that exit scams took around $26 million, flash loan attacks took $6.4 million and exploits took $13.5 million from their victims in August 2023. The cybersecurity firm confirmed that the total losses amounted to over $45 million.

CertiK pointed out that some of the major incidents that contributed to the amount lost include the Zunami Protocol attack, which led to $2.2 million in losses; the Exactly Protocol exploit, which took $7.3 million; and the PEPE (PEPE) withdrawal incident, which led to $13.2 million in losses.

According to CertiK, more than $997 million has been lost to exploits, hacks and scams in 2023 so far. This includes around $261 million lost to flash loan attacks, over $137 million lost to exit scams and more than $596 million lost to exploits.

Related: CertiK drops findings on alleged scammer who stole $1M in crypto

While the losses in August are still high, the amount is significantly lower compared to the losses incurred in the previous month. In July 2023, around $486 million in total losses were recorded by Web3 data outlet De.Fi, with the Multichain exploit alone contributing around $231 million to the total amount lost.

With various factors at play, Multichain officially announced the halting of its operations on July 14. The team cited a lack of funding for operations and a lack of alternative sources of information as the reasons for its shutdown. According to the team, it was unable to contact the CEO