The latest security report as of December 28th shows that the crypto industry has lost $3.4 billion in 2025 — and this is no alarmist talk. From a wallet app being hacked for $7 million, to a public chain suffering a $3.9 million attack, to various DeFi tool vulnerabilities, cases of theft are emerging one after another.

The most troublesome are tools like DEX trading bots. On the surface, they make trading easier, but the cost is that users must authorize the bot to access their wallets. The problem lies here — once the bot's code is compromised, or if it has a backdoor, your assets can vanish instantly. A senior executive from a major exchange has issued a warning about this, highlighting the level of risk involved.

Hackers' tactics are also evolving. From exploiting smart contract vulnerabilities, to attacking supply chains, to social engineering combined with internal personnel, attack methods are becoming increasingly diverse. This reflects an ongoing arms race — the competition between defenders and attackers on the technical level never ceases.

A loss of $3.4 billion is a wake-up call for every investor. Don't just focus on how much a project can earn; you must also assess whether its security architecture is solid. Choose protocols that have stood the test of time, with comprehensive bug bounty programs, multi-signature and time-lock protections. These are the most basic due diligence items. Audit records, emergency response capabilities, insurance coverage — these details often determine whether you can preserve your principal at critical moments.