According to analyst firm Chainalysis, only two hacker groups are responsible for 60% of publicly known incidents involving attacks on cryptocurrency exchanges. Researchers estimate that the criminals have already stolen about a billion dollars.
In the expert report, the groupings are codenamed Alpha and Beta. At the same time, the document says that the larger group, Alpha, is a huge organization with tight control and does not always pursue only financial gain. The Beta group, on the other hand, is much smaller, less organized, and is only interested in money. Analysts estimate that one "average" hack brings hackers from these groups about $ 90 million.
After successfully infiltrating an exchanger's network and stealing funds, the researchers say, attackers channel money through a complex network of wallets and exchanges to obfuscate traces and hide the origin of funds. On average, the stolen funds are moved about 5,000 times. After that, criminals, as a rule, wait about 40 days and only then begin to convert cryptocurrency into fiat.
At the same time, the Alpha group is more responsible for “obfuscating the tracks” than its “colleagues”, but it also cashes out the stolen goods faster. For example, often stolen cryptocurrency goes through 15,000 or more transactions, and 75% of stolen funds are cashed within 30 days after the attack. Members of the Beta group, in turn, prefer to wait from 6 to 18 months.
