Crime
Introducing Chainalysis Operation Spincaster: An Ecosystem-Wide Initiative To Disrupt and Prevent Billions in Losses to Crypto Scams
Approval phishing is an increasingly popular tactic used by criminals to steal funds through different scamming techniques such as fake…
Ransomware Payments Exceed $1 Billion in 2023, Hitting Record High After 2022 Decline
In 2023, ransomware actors intensified their operations, targeting high-profile institutions and critical infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and government agencies. Major…
U.S. Sanctions Crypto Mixer Sinbad.io for Role in North Korean Laundering Activities
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced today that it has imposed sanctions on cryptocurrency mixer…
Cryptocurrency Mining Pools and Money Laundering: Two Real World Examples
Cryptocurrency mining is a crucial part of our industry, but it also holds special appeal to bad actors, as it…
24% of New Tokens Launched in 2022 Bear On-Chain Characteristics of Pump and Dump Schemes
Pump and dump schemes in traditional finance are quite simple: Holders of a tradable asset, such as stock in a…
Crypto Scam Revenue Dropped 46% in 2022, While Blockchain Analysis Finds Links Between What Appear to be Distinct Scams
While scams remain the largest form of cryptocurrency-based crime (that is, if we ignore transactions associated with OFAC-sanctioned entities, which…
Crypto Money Laundering: Four Exchange Deposit Addresses Received Over $1 Billion in Illicit Funds in 2022
Money laundering is crucial to all financially motivated crime because it’s what enables criminals to access the funds they generate…
Ransomware Revenue Down As More Victims Refuse to Pay
2022 was an impactful year in the fight against ransomware. Ransomware attackers extorted at least $456.8 million from victims in…
How 2022’s Biggest Cryptocurrency Sanctions Designations Affected Crypto Crime
Agencies like the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and its equivalents in…
[CHAINALYSIS PODCAST EPISODE 19] Pig Butchering Crypto Scam: Crypto’s Emerging Human Trafficking And Romance Scam Industry
Episode 19 of Public Key, the Chainalysis podcast, is here! In this episode, we talk with Vice World News’ Southeast…
Mid-year Crypto Crime Update: Illicit Activity Falls With Rest of Market, With Some Notable Exceptions
2022 has been a tumultuous year for cryptocurrency markets, with significant price declines across all currencies in May and June.…
OFAC Sanctions Popular Ethereum Mixer Tornado Cash for Laundering Crypto Stolen by North Korea’s Lazarus Group
Today, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the popular Ethereum mixer Tornado Cash, adding it to…
Public Sector Survey Preview: Chainalysis 2022 State of Cryptocurrency Investigations
This blog is a preview of our 2022 State of Cryptocurrency Investigations Survey. We polled 300 North American public sector…
[CHAINALYSIS PODCAST EPISODE 15] Why Crypto Mixer Usage Has Reached All-time Highs in 2022
Episode 15 of Public Key, the Chainalysis podcast, is here! In this episode, we talk with Kim Grauer about recent…
Crypto Mixer Usage Reaches All-time Highs in 2022, With Nation State Actors and Cybercriminals Contributing Significant Volume
Crypto mixers are a go-to tool for cybercriminals on the blockchain. We find that in 2022, crypto addresses tied to…