By 2025, 'wrench attacks' will surge by 75%, and physical violence will become an important threat in the field of encryption On February 2nd, Web3 security company CertiK released the "Skynet Wrench Attack Report," stating that physical violence against cryptocurrency holders has evolved from an extreme case to a structural risk. With the continuous strengthening of encrypted asset security protection, this attack method that bypasses technical defenses and directly targets "people" is rapidly spreading. The report shows that a total of 72 verified wrench attack incidents were recorded globally in 2025, an increase of 75% compared to 2024. The so-called 'wrench attack' refers to attackers using physical means such as violence, intimidation, and kidnapping to force victims to hand over their private keys or passwords. This type of attack does not rely on technical vulnerabilities, but directly targets individuals behind encrypted assets. The level of violence has significantly escalated, and Europe has become a high-risk area. From the perspective of attack forms, wrench attacks in 2025 will show a clear trend of violent escalation. The report points out that kidnapping remains the main attack route, with 25 incidents occurring throughout the year; Direct personal attacks have increased by 250% year-on-year, becoming one of the most alarming changes. In terms of geographical distribution, Europe has become the region with the highest global risk for the first time. By 2025, Europe will account for over 40% of known global events, with France recording the highest number of attacks globally, surpassing the United States. CertiK pointed out in the report that this change does not mean the disappearance of risks in North America, but reflects that such crimes are spreading to more regions with complex judicial environments and higher cross-border collaboration costs. The loss exceeds 40 million US dollars, and the actual scale may be severely underestimated. From a financial impact perspective, the confirmed wrench attack related losses in 2025 exceed 40.9 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 44%. However, the report warns that this number is only the "tip of the iceberg" due to factors such as low willingness of victims to report, fear of retaliation, and some assets involving tax evasion or gray areas. The report found through comparing attack patterns that the wrench attack in 2025 has completely bid farewell to its early speculative and fragmented characteristics, and entered the stage of professional and industrial operation. Attackers often exist in the form of transnational criminal groups, and usually prepare for several weeks before the attack, combining open source intelligence (OSINT) to analyze the target's digital traces, identify weak defense periods, and even deploy professional equipment such as signal jammers and Faraday bags to cut off the victim's connection with the outside world. It is worth noting that the attackers' targets are becoming more generalized. Although industry executives and project founders remain high-value targets, attackers are now also targeting individuals with lower holdings. In addition, attackers are increasingly using "associated targets" to exert psychological pressure by threatening the victim's spouse, children, or parents. How to deal with personal threats? With the continuous improvement of technical security standards, "cracking systems" is becoming increasingly difficult, while "coercing individuals" is more cost-effective and efficient. This paradox makes personal safety the weakest and most easily overlooked aspect of the current encryption ecosystem. The report proposes a series of security recommendations for individuals and institutions: at the individual level, it is recommended to reduce coercion losses through "bait wallets", store mnemonic words in geographical isolation, and remove daily device encryption applications to reduce risks; At the institutional level, emphasis should be placed on the use of multiple signature mechanisms, time locked contracts, transaction friction mechanisms, and other technical means. At the same time, security training should be extended to family members and employees. In the conclusion of the report, CertiK emphasizes that the situation in 2025 indicates that wrench attacks have become an independent type of crime in the crypto ecosystem, and the security model relying solely on mnemonics is no longer able to cope with risks. How to upgrade from "protecting assets" to "protecting people" and reduce the feasibility of coercive behavior through institutionalized design may become a key proposition for the future development of the industry. Report link: https://indd. (adobe.com)/view/6399f4eb-e37c-485d-a225-a7a1fc68914f