The team behind the metaverse The Sandbox has revealed details of an incident involving unauthorized token issuance. The attacker managed to generate 14.9 billion unbacked SAND tokens on the Base and BSC networks, which is several times higher than the legitimate supply of the asset. For comparison: the total issuance of the original token on Ethereum is only 3 billion SAND, equivalent to approximately $140 million at the current exchange rate.
Scope and Localization of the Threat
The developers responded promptly to the attack by blocking cross-chain operations and isolating the compromised tokens on their original blockchains. This prevented the spread of fake assets to other ecosystems. According to the team's statement, user wallets were not affected—the damage impacted only 0.01% of the total SAND in circulation, indicating the targeted nature of the intrusion.
Situation Analysis
The incident highlights vulnerabilities in cross-chain bridges and interoperability protocols, which have become a favorite target for hackers. The fact that the attack was localized without losses to users demonstrates the maturity of The Sandbox's protective mechanisms, yet it raises the question of the need to strengthen smart contract audits in adjacent networks.
In my view, such cases are a signal for the entire market: even major projects with established infrastructure are not immune to exploits, and investors should pay closer attention to liquidity on secondary blockchains. The team's swift response minimized the consequences, but trust in cross-chain solutions requires systemic improvements, not just targeted patches.