Home invasions have become the primary form of wrench attacks: CertiK's analysis for the first half of the year
In the first six months of this year, I recorded 52 cases of so-called wrench attacks—physical assaults aimed at forcing cryptocurrency owners to transfer their funds. This figure shows an alarming 33% increase compared to the previous period.
The most notable change was a sharp rise in home invasions: from one incident to twenty. Home attacks now account for the majority of all recorded cases, indicating a shift in attackers' tactics, who are increasingly targeting victims' vulnerable living spaces.
The total amount involved in these incidents reached $124.1 million. This underscores that physical threats are becoming no less dangerous than digital hacks. The geography of the attacks is particularly concerning: France accounted for 33 cases, making it the epicenter of this type of crime.
From my perspective, this trend requires a reassessment of personal security approaches for cryptocurrency holders. Hardware wallets and multi-factor authentication are no longer sufficient protection if an attacker can physically access the device. I recommend that investors consider using decentralized key storage methods, such as multi-signature schemes, and avoid publicly disclosing large balances.