The SlowMist team, a prominent cybersecurity and AML group, recently released its annual report on attacks and security incidents in the Web3 sector for the year 2022. The report highlighted a significant increase in scams on major smart contracts platforms, with a total of 303 incidents occurring throughout the year. These incidents resulted in over $3.77 billion in losses, indicating a 28.3% increase compared to the previous year.
One of the primary targets for attackers in 2022 was the BNB Smart Chain (BSC), with 79 incidents occurring on this platform. The report also noted a spike in the use of blockchain mixers, despite the arrest of Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev. In total, over 1.2 million ETH was deposited to Tornado Cash, while over 40,000 BTC was laundered through ChipMixer.
Cross-chain bridges also suffered significant losses in 2022, with nearly $1.2 billion stolen in just four attacks against Ronin, Wormhole, Nomad, and Harmony bridges. Scams, phishing, and rug pulls accounted for a large portion of the incidents in the Web3 sector, with 31.6% of incidents attributed to scam campaigns and phishing events. Additionally, 30.3% of attacks exploited vulnerabilities in DeFi contracts.
In the NFT segment, SlowMist registered 56 incidents, with phishing attacks accounting for almost 40% of the total incidents. The report also highlighted the freezing of cryptocurrency accounts by major stablecoin issuers Tether Limited and Circle, with a total of 376 stablecoin addresses blocked on the Ethereum blockchain.
Overall, the SlowMist 2022 Annual Blockchain Security and AML Analysis Report provides valuable insights and analysis on the latest trends and developments in blockchain security and AML. With the increasing number of attacks and scams in the Web3 sector, it is essential for individuals and organizations to remain vigilant and implement robust security measures to protect their assets in the digital space.
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