Cryptocurrency Phishing Attacks Rise by 40% Year-on-Year in 2022

Cryptocurrency-related cyberattacks have seen bad actors shift their focus from traditional financial threats to phishing. Kaspersky has revealed a 40% year-on-year increase in cryptocurrency phishing attacks in 2022, with 5,040,520 attacks detected compared to 3,596,437 in 2021. Phishing attacks involve reaching out to investors through fake websites and communication channels that mimic official companies, and prompting users to share personal information such as private keys, which ultimately provides attackers unwarranted access to crypto wallets and assets.

While Kaspersky could not predict if the trend of cryptocurrency phishing attacks would increase in 2023, phishing attacks continue to gain momentum in 2023. In a survey conducted by Kaspersky, one out of seven respondents admitted to being affected by cryptocurrency phishing.

Phishing attacks predominantly involve giveaway scams or fake wallet phishing pages, but attackers continue to evolve their strategies. Kaspersky has noted that “crypto still remains a symbol of getting rich quick with minimal effort,” which attracts scammers to innovate their techniques and stories to lure in unwary crypto investors.

Recently, hardware cryptocurrency wallet provider Trezor issued a warning against attempts to steal users’ crypto by tricking investors into entering their recovery phrase on a fake Trezor site. This highlights the importance of being vigilant and taking necessary precautions to protect one's crypto assets.

In a recent incident, Arbitrum investors were exposed to a phishing link via its official Discord server. A hacker reportedly hacked into the Discord account of one of Arbitrum’s developers, which was then used to share a fake announcement with a phishing link. This shows that attackers are constantly finding new ways to trick investors into sharing their personal information, and highlights the need for increased security measures to protect against cryptocurrency phishing attacks.

In conclusion, cryptocurrency phishing attacks continue to rise, with attackers evolving their strategies to lure unwary crypto investors. It is crucial for investors to be vigilant and take necessary precautions, such as avoiding clicking on suspicious links, verifying the authenticity of websites and communication channels, and using hardware wallets to store their crypto assets. Additionally, companies must prioritize security measures and educate their users to help prevent and mitigate the effects of cryptocurrency phishing attacks.