France Steps Up Security After Wrench Attacks Kidnap Crypto Holders

France has become a focal point for “wrench attacks” against crypto holders, with CoinDesk saying the country has seen 41 crypto-related kidnappings this year, “roughly one every 2.5 days,” prompting authorities to step up security.

“Inside the rise of wrench attacks against crypto holders and how France has become the focus France has seen 41 crypto-related kidnappings this year, roughly one every 2”

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CoinDesk describes wrench attacks as physical coercion meant to force victims to transfer digital assets, and it says the trend is rising globally as attackers increasingly target individuals based on “their public profiles, leaked data and daily routines rather than technical vulnerabilities.”

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The article ties the heightened attention to an international blockchain and crypto conference in Paris, where a “police motorcade escorted VIP guests to a dinner at the Palace of Versailles” and security was “also notably reinforced at the Carrousel du Louver.”

CoinDesk says government officials took the stage at the conference to acknowledge their alarm at the scale of the problem, stating that “this year alone, the country has suffered at least 41 crypto-related kidnappings and home invasions.”

It adds that Jean-Didier Berger, Minister Delegate to the Interior Ministry, said “a new set of measures is being prepared with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to tackle the growing issue.”

CoinDesk also reports that “a prevention platform has already drawn thousands of registrations,” while authorities say further steps are needed as incidents continue to rise.

CoinDesk says wrench attacks are increasingly about coercing people rather than breaking encryption, explaining that “For some attackers, it is easier to coerce a person than to break encryption.”

It adds that “Unlike traditional bank transfers, crypto transactions cannot be reversed,” and that once a victim authorizes a transfer under duress, “the funds can be moved quickly across wallets and chains.”

Capital.fr

The article also describes a shift in targeting methods, quoting Phil Ariss of TRM Labs: “We’re seeing a shift from ‘find a wallet’ to ‘hunt a person.’”

CoinDesk says attackers build profiles using “social media activity, public appearances and leaked datasets,” and it notes they “track routines and identify points of weakness.”

Ariss is also quoted warning that “The biggest avoidable mistake is tying real-world identity, location and routine too tightly to visible crypto wealth.”

CoinDesk further frames the problem as being worsened by insider access, stating that “The problem is exacerbated when attackers get a helping hand from government officials,” and it references “one widely known case” in which “a French tax official sold wrench attackers sensitive data.”

CoinDesk describes wrench attacks as extending beyond individual targets, saying “Cases now include families, with children targeted alongside crypto-holding parents.”

“Inside the rise of wrench attacks against crypto holders and how France has become the focus France has seen 41 crypto-related kidnappings this year, roughly one every 2”

CoinDesk

It gives an example from France in January 2025, stating that “Ledger co-founder David Balland was kidnapped in France along with his partner,” and it adds that “one of his fingers was severed and sent to associates as part of a ransom demand.”

CoinDesk says Balland “was rescued after a police operation,” and it uses that case to illustrate the severity of the coercion involved.

The article also points to other jurisdictions, saying “Other cases have involved prolonged captivity and torture,” including “one in New York, where a crypto investor was held for more than two weeks.”

It adds that “In Canada, a home invasion escalated into waterboarding and sexual violence as attackers attempted to force access to funds.”

CoinDesk quotes Jameson Lopp to underscore the logic behind the violence, saying, “Every time a wrench attack is successful, it tells the world that crypto owners are juicy targets.”

While CoinDesk focuses on crypto-related kidnappings and home invasions, Capital.fr reports a separate home-invasion attempt involving a high-profile French journalist.

Capital.fr says Anne-Sophie Lapix, presenter of the 8 p.m. news on France 2, was targeted by a home-invasion attempt this Sunday, “according to Le Parisien.”

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It states that the attackers tried to force the journalist’s townhouse front door, located in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, “in the night from Saturday to Sunday, around 4 a.m.”

Capital.fr reports that initial police findings showed the burglars tried to enter, “before one of the journalist's sons chased them away by filming them.”

It then says “Five men were then apprehended in front of the Trocadéro Gardens by the district's anti-crime brigade, and then placed in custody at the offices of the brigade for the repression of banditry, according to BFMTV.”

The article adds that the five men are “all from Massy, in the Essonne department, and two of them are minors,” and it notes that Lapix “had already raised the alarm on Tuesday after catching a man attempting to force her front door with a crowbar.”

CoinDesk says authorities are responding to the wrench-attack wave with new measures and prevention tools, describing a “prevention platform” that “has already drawn thousands of registrations.”

“Anne-Sophie Lapix, presenter of the 8 p”

Capital.fr

It reports that Jean-Didier Berger said “a new set of measures is being prepared with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to tackle the growing issue,” and it places that political response alongside visible security reinforcements during the Paris conference.

Capital.fr

CoinDesk also includes guidance aimed at reducing attackers’ payoff, quoting security researchers who “urge crypto holders to use tools like multi-signature wallets and withdrawal limits to reduce the payoff from attacks.”

It connects those recommendations to the mechanics of duress transfers, emphasizing that “Once a victim authorizes a transfer under duress, the funds can be moved quickly across wallets and chains.”

In parallel, Capital.fr’s account of the Lapix home-invasion attempt shows police action and custody after the incident, with “Five men” apprehended and placed in custody at the offices of the brigade for the repression of banditry.

It also highlights how early detection and rapid response occurred when Lapix’s son chased attackers away by filming them, and it notes that Lapix had “already raised the alarm on Tuesday after catching a man attempting to force her front door with a crowbar.”