Security vulnerabilities in the crypto world: When digital assets are no longer protected

Recent consecutive robberies in the cryptocurrency industry have exposed a concerning reality: prominent figures in this field are becoming primary targets for criminals. The most dangerous part is not that they are poorly protected, but that these criminals have found the most effective way to seize assets: forcing the owners to publicly reveal their wallet passwords.

Why crypto has become the focus of physical attacks

Just by looking at the performance of criminals in various sectors, it becomes clear: robbing cash requires effort and high risk, but stealing a cryptocurrency wallet is much simpler. When assets are stored digitally, it only takes a few characters—a password string, a seed phrase—to completely change ownership.

What makes it easier for bad actors is the nature of those working in the industry. They often share their lives, assets, and projects on social media like Twitter. They appear at conferences, are mentioned in the press, and use unsafe public Wi-Fi. Although these pieces of information seem harmless, they form a detailed map for malicious actors to identify “who is wealthy in crypto,” “where they are,” and “what can be taken.”

Sophisticated organized robberies in unexpected places

Planned robbery in the suburbs of Oxford, UK

On November 4, on a rural road outside Oxford, five people traveling from the university city to London were suddenly approached by a black BMW from behind. Soon after, a Hyundai Ioniq cut across, forcing their vehicle to stop. From a silver Mercedes-Benz Vito, masked individuals dressed in black quickly attacked.

The entire process took less than thirty seconds. The robbers said nothing, acting as if they had trained hundreds of times. They immediately took a luxury watch worth £450,000, phones, and then demanded the victim to unlock their crypto wallets.

During a thirty-minute nightmare inside the vehicle, the victims were forced to input seed phrases, confirmation codes, and verify all transactions under the supervision of the assailants. When the notification of the transfer—£1.1 million (equivalent to $1.44 million)—sounded, the robbers said nothing, just pushed the victim out of the car and left. Thames Valley police quickly launched a simultaneous manhunt in London, Kent, and Birmingham. Four suspects were arrested within days, and law enforcement described this method as a “high-value organized crime style.”

Break-in at the former Stripe executive’s home in San Francisco

A neighborhood near Mission Dolores in San Francisco is home to investors and tech engineers from Silicon Valley. Lachy Groom, 31, a former Stripe CEO, also lives here. He is a billionaire and previously had a relationship with Sam Altman, co-founder of OpenAI, before Altman married in 2024.

One afternoon, the doorbell rang. A young man wearing a dark hoodie, sunglasses, and gloves, carrying a white box, entered as if he were a regular delivery person. He said, “Looking for Joshua, there’s a package, need signature.” When the door opened, he pretended to look for a pen, then quickly entered the house.

From that moment, everything turned brutal. The suspect pulled out a gun, tied up the victim with duct tape. But that was just the beginning. They turned on the phone speaker, with an accomplice far away reading out personal information, while the gunman inside the house beat the victim to verify if they said the “correct password.” This was a carefully designed torture—ensuring the victim was so scared they wouldn’t dare lie.

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