“Wrench Attacks” Characterize New Wave of Crypto Kidnappings
A disturbing case in New York has brought new attention to a violent trend in the world of crypto crime. An Italian tourist was reportedly abducted, tortured, and held for weeks by individuals who were allegedly trying to force him to give up access to his digital wallet. These kinds of crimes are being called “wrench attacks”—a term that originated from a web comic, where a character uses a simple wrench to beat a crypto holder into giving up their password, rather than relying on technical hacking. According to Ari Redbord of TRM Labs, a firm that tracks crypto-related crimes,…