CustodyStress
Archive › Physical coercion
Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-01375

Physical coercion — hardware wallet (2025)

Constrained
Case description
A 2025 Bloomberg Businessweek investigation into crypto wrench attacks found that the demographic profile of victims had shifted substantially from 2021 to 2025. Early wrench attacks predominantly targeted high-profile crypto executives and large holders. By 2025, victims included teachers, a construction worker, a fireman, and individuals with holdings of $30,000–$100,000. The investigation attributed the expansion of the target pool to the growing availability of exchange-leaked KYC databases and on-chain analytics tools that allowed attackers to identify holders by cross-referencing wallet addresses with personal information obtained from data breaches.
Custody context
Stress conditionPhysical coercion
Custody systemHardware wallet (single key)
OutcomeConstrained
DocumentationUnknown
Year observed2025
CountryUnited States
Structural dependencies observed
Biometric or physical presence
What this illustrates
Access required in-person verification that couldn't be arranged under the circumstances. Whether full access was ultimately possible is unclear, but significant delay or outside intervention was involved.
Outcome interpretation
Access remained possible, but only with delay, dependence, or significant difficulty.
Source
Publicly Reported
Evidence type
News article
Evidence link
https://www.thestreet.com/economy/crypto-wrench-attacks-surge-as-thieves-use-violence-to-steal-digital-assets
Related cases involving physical coercion
A Turkish national who had travelled to Hong Kong to conduct a cryptocurrency OTC trade
Hardware wallet (single key) · 2025 Blocked
The analysis noted that attacks were no longer the exclusive domain of
Hardware wallet (single key) · 2025 Constrained
Europe accounted for over 40% of global incidents, with France alone recording 19
Hardware wallet (single key) · 2025 Constrained
105 cases involve physical coercion 274 cases involve hardware wallet (single key) View archive statistics →
This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents. Submit a case
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Framework references
Where Bitcoin Custody Intersects Legal and Fiduciary Authority
Where custody creates gaps in estate planning, fiduciary duty, and professional responsibility.
Professional Scope Boundary Matrix
What each professional or product covers, what they do not, and where gaps form between them.
The Independent Assessment Layer in Bitcoin Custody
How independent diagnostic layers emerge when multiple parties depend on shared infrastructure.
Terms guide
Outcome terms
Survives
Access remained possible under the reported conditions.
Constrained
Access remained possible, but only with delay, dependence, or significant difficulty.
Blocked
Access was not possible under the reported conditions.
Indeterminate
There was not enough information to determine the outcome.
Structural terms
Single-person knowledge
Recovery depended on information or capability held by one individual who was unavailable.
Institutional dependence
Recovery depended on a third-party institution or service that was inaccessible or uncooperative.
Documentation gap
Recovery depended on instructions that were missing, incomplete, or unclear.
Authority mismatch
The person with legal authority to act did not have operational access, or vice versa.
Original text
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