The Sandbox Bridge Exploit Mints 14.9 Billion Unbacked SAND Tokens

The metaverse gaming platform The Sandbox confirmed that an attacker exploited its cross‑chain bridges on Base and BNB Smart Chain (BSC), minting approximately 14.9 billion SAND tokens that were not backed by any locked assets.

How the Bridge Failed

The Sandbox’s bridge normally locks SAND on a source chain—typically Ethereum—and mints an equivalent amount on the destination chain. In this incident the minting function was triggered without a corresponding lock, allowing the creation of unbacked tokens on both Base and BSC.

Scale of the Anomaly

Security firm Peckshield identified the minting activity across two addresses. The 14.9 billion tokens represent nearly five times the protocol’s total capped supply of 3 billion SAND, though the exploit affected less than 0.01 % of the genuine supply.

Immediate Response

• The Sandbox disabled bridging on Base and BSC as soon as the exploit was detected.
• Ethereum‑based SAND and the assets backing it remained untouched.
• Users were advised not to trade SAND on the affected networks until the bridges are restored.

Compensation Plans

The platform is preparing a compensation scheme for eligible liquidity providers whose positions were impacted by the unbacked minting.

Broader Context

Bridge attacks have caused over $320 million in losses in the first half of 2026, with similar mint‑based exploits reported on Polkadot and Alephium bridges. Additionally, Coinbase announced the delisting of ten perpetual futures contracts, including SAND, effective August 26, adding further market pressure.

Next Steps

The Sandbox will conduct a post‑mortem and a security audit before re‑enabling bridging on Base and BSC.