The Sandbox has actually paused its SAND bridge on Base and BNB Smart Chain (BSC) after spotting a vulnerability that enabled an enemy to mint unbacked tokens on both networks. According to an X post by The Sandbox, the job validated the event on August 22, 2026, and reports it is included; bridging to and from Base and BSC is presently handicapped to separate the afflicted SAND supply.
The Sandbox Contains SAND Bridge Exploit
The Sandbox stated its group recognized and resolved a vulnerability in the SAND cross-chain bridge on Base and BNB Smart Chain. According to the task’s main statement, the effect of the occurrence is”very little,” representing less than 0.01% of the overall SAND supply.
The problem took place at the bridge layer, where tokens are usually locked on the native chain before a comparable quantity of tokens is minted on the location chain. When this system is made use of, an aggressor can produce covered tokens without matching support properties.
The Sandbox broadened SAND to BNB Smart Chain and Base in 2024 by means of LayerZero to allow token motion throughout several networks instead of focusing exclusively on Ethereum and Polygon.
Following the discovery of the occurrence, The Sandbox disabled the SAND bridge to and from Base and BSC, leaving tokens on both networks separated throughout the examination. The job has actually not yet supplied a timeline for resuming the bridge and specified it will launch a technical post-mortem later on.
Unbacked SAND Minted on Base and BSC
According to The Sandbox, the opponent had the ability to mint unbacked SAND on Base and BSC. These tokens were developed on the impacted chains without being backed by locked SAND on Ethereum.
According to PeckShield, roughly 14.9 billion SAND was unusually minted throughout 2 addresses throughout the occurrence. At a SAND cost of around $0.045 at the time, this token amount held an enormous small worth, however ought to not be considered as real monetary loss considering that the bridge was handicapped and liquidity on the impacted networks was constrained.
#PeckShieldAlert Looks like The @TheSandboxGame ($SANDgot made use of. 14.9 B$SAND minted throughout 2 addresses: 0xAbE0 … 4D22 & 0x638C … F296 pic.twitter.com/a5Jgym87gR
— PeckShieldAlert( @PeckShieldAlert)August 22, 2026
The Sandbox alerted users not to purchase, offer, or trade SAND on Base and BSC, as liquidity on both networks has actually been jeopardized. With the bridge presently handicapped, SAND on these 2 chains stays separated and can not be redeemed through the main bridge.
Ethereum and Polygon SAND Remain Unaffected
The Sandbox verified that SAND on Ethereum and Polygon stays untouched by the event. The job likewise kept in mind that no user wallets were jeopardized, and holders on these 2 networks do not require to take immediate action.
According to The Sandbox, the SAND locked on Ethereum backing the bridged tokens stays completely undamaged. This suggests that the event was localized to the bridge on Base and BSC rather than the underlying token agreement or user wallets.
CoinGecko information at the time of reporting revealed SAND trading around$0.0464, up roughly 16.9% over 7 days however down a little by 0.7%over 24 hours. The token had a market capitalization of around $136.3 million, a 24-hour trading volume of around$4.16 million, a flowing supply of about 2.938 billion SAND, and an overall supply of 3 billion SAND.
SAND Price Chart (1H). Source: TradingView
Short-term cost changes took place as CoinGecko likewise showed a caution relating to irregular minting activity associated to SAND on Base.
keep an eye on now consist of figuring out the scope of unbacked tokens, handling liquidity on Base and BSC, and the timing of The Sandbox’s technical post-mortem release.
Exchanges and LPs Face Follow-Up Measures
Bithumb was amongst the very first exchanges to suspend SAND deposits and withdrawals following the security advisory from The Sandbox. According to the exchange’s statement, deposit and withdrawal operations for SAND were stopped beginning August 22, 2026, after keeping in mind security problems connected with the token.
The suspension of deposits and withdrawals does not suggest area trading of SAND throughout all markets has actually stopped, however it might limit the capability to move tokens in between exchanges and on-chain wallets throughout the examination. This is a typical preventive procedure when exchanges require to prevent getting tokens stemming from impacted networks or bridges.
On the on-chain liquidity side, The Sandbox mentioned it is taking a pre-incident picture and preparing a settlement prepare for qualified users in affected liquidity swimming pools. The job has actually not yet revealed particular eligibility requirements, payment schedules, or settlement estimation methods.
This strategy will be a vital part of the post-incident healing procedure, especially for LPs on Base and BSC. If swimming pools soaked up unbacked SAND or skilled property imbalances throughout the make use of, the pre-incident picture can assist determine the afflicted user group.
What to Watch Next
The Sandbox has actually not revealed a resuming date for the SAND bridge on Base and BSC. The task mentioned it will launch a complete occurrence report and a comprehensive technical post-mortem upon finishing its examination.
Bottom line staying to be clarified consist of the source of the vulnerability, how the unbacked SAND minted will be dealt with, and real financial loss, if any. While PeckShield flagged around 14.9 billion SAND unusually minted, this figure shows the produced token amount instead of properties drained pipes from the system.
The Sandbox has likewise yet to information the settlement prepare for LPs, consisting of eligibility requirements, picture timestamps, and processing schedules. Pending brand-new updates, the task continues to recommend users versus trading SAND on Base or BSC.
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