On February 21, 2025, the crypto exchange Bybit lost roughly $1.5 billion in a theft carried out mainly in Ethereum (ETH and staked ETH). At the time it was described as the largest crypto hack on record. Bitcoin was not the main target, but investors watched its price to see whether the incident would trigger a wider sell-off. The FBI later attributed the theft to North Korea’s TraderTraitor group.
This analysis tracks Bitcoin’s daily close on the day of the hack, over the following week, and two weeks and one month later. Percentage changes are measured against the close on February 20, 2025, the day before the hack.
Bitcoin price performance after the Bybit hack
| Time period | Date | BTC closing price | Change vs. Feb. 20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day before hack | February 20, 2025 | $98,337.09 | 0.00% |
| Day 0 (hack) | February 21, 2025 | $96,134.92 | -2.24% |
| 1 day after | February 22, 2025* | $96,660.41 | -1.71% |
| 2 days after | February 23, 2025 | $96,030.95 | -2.35% |
| 3 days after | February 24, 2025 | $91,393.39 | -7.06% |
| 4 days after | February 25, 2025 | $88,701.91 | -9.80% |
| 5 days after | February 26, 2025 | $83,863.65 | -14.72% |
| 6 days after | February 27, 2025 | $84,763.91 | -13.80% |
| 7 days after | February 28, 2025 | $84,374.02 | -14.20% |
| 14 days after | March 7, 2025 | $86,745.34 | -11.79% |
| 30 days after | March 23, 2025 | $85,944.62 | -12.60% |
*StatMuse’s hourly data for February 22 ends at 22:00, so this value may be the 22:00 price rather than the final close.
Bitcoin slipped about 2% on the day of the hack and held in a narrow range through February 23. The larger drop came afterwards: by February 26 it closed at $83,863.65, 14.72% below the pre-hack level and the lowest close in the table. The FBI named TraderTraitor the same day. Bitcoin then stabilized around $84,000 to $85,000 and recovered part of the loss, closing at $86,745.34 after two weeks and $85,944.62 after a month, still 12.60% below the level before the hack.
The data cannot show how much of the decline came from the hack itself, because other factors also move Bitcoin’s price. It does show that the market had not regained its pre-hack level a month later.
Binance’s hack in October 2026, which Binance estimates at $6.3 billion, is now described as the largest crypto heist on record, which makes the Bybit episode a useful reference point.
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Sources:
- StatMuse: Bitcoin price on February 21, 2025 (and the matching StatMuse pages for the other dates)
- SecurityWeek: FBI says North Korea hacked Bybit as details of $1.5B heist emerge
- Decrypt: FBI links North Korea to $1.4 billion Bybit crypto heist
- Security Affairs: FBI says North Korea-linked TraderTraitor is responsible for the $1.5 billion Bybit hack
⚠️ RISK WARNING & AI DISCLOSURE
- This information is generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and complex algorithms. While advanced, these systems can contain errors or inaccuracies and are for educational purposes only.
- Technical analysis provides no guarantees; this information is purely informative.
- All discussed scenarios are hypothetical and do not constitute predictions or expectations.
- Past performance is not an indicator of future results.
- This is not financial advice and is not intended as a call-to-action for the reader.
- No implicit direction is claimed, and no specific behavior of market participants is suggested.