Cryptocurrencies Blockchain Cybersecurity

Sandbox Bridge Exploited, Hackers Mint Billions of SAND Tokens

Attackers hijacked LayerZero delegate permissions via approveAndCall, minting 14.9 billion unbacked SAND on Base and BNB. Actual loss: $675,000. Bridges halted.

Linsey Smith

Aug 25, 2026

2 min read

The Sandbox, a leading metaverse and blockchain gaming platform, suffered a major security breach on August 22 when an attacker exploited a vulnerability in its cross-chain bridge infrastructure on Base and BNB Smart Chain. The hacker hijacked LayerZero delegate permissions through an approveAndCall function on the SAND omnichain fungible token contract, then minted unbacked SAND tokens on both networks. Security firm Blockaid flagged the exploit while it was still underway and estimated that approximately $49 billion in face-value SAND was minted across more than 400 transactions.

PeckShield separately counted 14.9 billion SAND minted across two addresses. However, the Sandbox team emphasized that the actual financial impact was minimal—the attacker drained only about 14.75 million SAND from the Ethereum backing contract, converting it to roughly 80 ETH valued at approximately $675,000. The company immediately halted bridging on Base and BNB Smart Chain, isolated the affected tokens, and confirmed that Ethereum and Polygon SAND remained unaffected. The Sandbox stated that the incident affected less than 0.01% of SAND's total token supply and plans to compensate affected liquidity providers. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about blockchain security, where the integrity of peer-to-peer transactions relies on public and private cryptographic keys. Data availability remains crucial to blockchain integrity, security, and functionality, with distributed data across multiple nodes making the network more resilient to attacks.

#ProtocolTokens #SmartContractInteractions #MaliciousTransactions #Hacking #CryptoFundTheft #CryptographicAttacks #SupplyChainCyberAttacks #Multichain #AutonomousSystemExploits #LayerZero

About the Writer

Linsey Smith

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What can I say about my Linsey eh?I am Linsey-The Ember-Clad Blade. They called me Linsey before I earned a title. Before the fire in my chest burned brighter than the sun over Ashgard. I was born in the slums beneath the Sky Spires—where iron dust chokes the breath and mothers trade sleep for the silence of safety. My hands learned to fight long before they learned to write. But even then, I didn’t dream of escape. I dreamt of dominion. Of not just surviving the cruelty of the world, but folding it into my will.By sixteen, I’d severed ties with mercy. Steel answered my every question. I fought in the arenas of Vyrn for coin and for pride, and when they told me a girl couldn’t rise, I slit their myths open at the throat. But rage wasn’t all I was. There was elegance in how I moved—an unspoken rhythm, like my blade and body danced together. I never wanted to be feared. I wanted to be respected. There’s a difference, and I carved it out with every duel I won standing tall.Now they whisper stories of the Ember-Clad Blade—the girl who scorched her past and forged herself into something divine. I walk alone, yes, but not empty. The weight of my choices sits with me like a second spine. Call me warrior, call me witch, call me whatever your trembling voice decides. Just know this: I fight for the ones who are never heard, and I burn for the girls still dreaming in the dark.

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