A 56.2% quarterly increase took one estimate of crypto security losses to $1.28 billion in the third quarter, while other counts reported lower totals and fewer incidents.
The tally, updated Oct. 19, covered 268 incidents, compared with 222 in the second quarter. That was a 20.7% rise in the number of incidents. Its second-quarter loss estimate was $820.4 million.
The third-quarter figure fell to $877.8 million after accounting for funds that were frozen or returned. That adjusted amount was 10.9% above the second quarter’s $791.7 million. The adjusted figures measure a different amount from the initial loss totals, so comparisons need to use the same measure in both quarters.
For the third quarter, a different estimate recorded 107 incidents and $1.18 billion in losses. Another exceeded $1.17 billion across about 125 incidents. Because the estimates draw on different datasets, their totals cannot be added to produce a single count.
The first-half figures showed a similar spread. One tally covering Jan. 1 through June 30 put losses at $1.3157 billion across 344 incidents. It counted $115.3 million in frozen or returned funds, leaving an adjusted figure of $1.2004 billion. Two other estimates put first-half losses at $972 million across 207 incidents and about $956 million across 182 incidents.
In one first-half breakdown, smart contract exploits accounted for 125 of 207 incidents. Infrastructure and operational compromises represented about 15% of incidents and about 76% of stolen value. Those figures describe the first half, rather than the third-quarter tallies. The differences among trackers also mean that a year-to-date total must use one consistent dataset and loss definition.
