Stealing money with a keyboard has produced some of the largest heists in history. These are the biggest known cyber thefts, with what happened to the money where it is known.
Amounts are the figures widely reported at the time. Cryptocurrency prices move, so the dollar value of coins stolen years ago looks very different today.
Several of the largest thefts have been blamed by the US government on North Korean hackers. Others were recovered, returned or traced after arrests.
The thefts
- Bybit — Attackers tampered with the transfer process at the exchange. The FBI attributed it to North Korean hackers, and it is often described as the largest crypto theft on record.
- Ronin Network (Axie Infinity) — Attackers compromised validator keys on the bridge behind a popular blockchain game. The FBI linked the theft to the Lazarus Group.
- Poly Network — An attacker exploited a flaw in a cross-chain protocol, then returned almost all the funds within days.
- BNB Chain bridge — An attacker forged messages on a cross-chain bridge to mint tokens. The network paused to limit the damage.
- Coincheck — A Japanese exchange had its tokens drained from a hot wallet that lacked stronger security.
- Mt. Gox — The once-dominant exchange collapsed after coins went missing over several years. Some were later recovered.
- Wormhole — A flaw on a bridge between blockchains let an attacker mint tokens without backing.
- Bitfinex — Coins were stolen from the exchange. Two people were arrested in 2022 and authorities recovered a large share of the stolen coins.
- Bangladesh Bank — Attackers used the SWIFT payments network to request transfers from the central bank's account at the New York Fed. The US later charged a North Korean programmer in connection with the attack.
- The DAO — An exploit of a flaw in a venture fund running on Ethereum led the community to split the network in a controversial hard fork.
- Carbanak — A criminal gang infiltrated banks with malware and made ATMs dispense cash and moved money, according to security researchers.
Frequently asked questions
What was the biggest cyber theft?
The roughly $1.5 billion stolen from the exchange Bybit in 2025 is often described as the largest on record.
Was any of the money recovered?
Sometimes. Poly Network's attacker returned almost everything, and authorities recovered a large share of the Bitfinex coins.
Who is blamed for the biggest thefts?
The US has blamed North Korean hackers, including the Lazarus Group, for several of the largest crypto thefts.
Are these figures exact?
They are the widely reported amounts at the time and are approximate.