The Sandbox reaches the normal claim deadline today for users affected by the August 2026 cross-chain SAND incident on Base and BNB Smart Chain.
Eligible self-custody users can claim 1:1 SAND compensation on Ethereum based on pre-exploit balances.
The standard claim portal closes on:
September 22, 2026 at 16:00 UTC
Missing the standard deadline is not necessarily final: The Sandbox has said late claims can be reviewed case by case through the end of October.
What incident is being compensated?
The underlying exploit affected bridged SAND deployments on:
- Base;
- BNB Smart Chain.
The vulnerable setup allowed the attacker to obtain or simulate authority over incoming bridge-message verification and mint SAND without corresponding backing.
Forensic reporting places the unauthorized/drained amount at approximately 14,742,341.84 SAND, with direct value around $697,000 at incident-time pricing and broader economic-impact estimates around $1.5 million.
Ethereum and Polygon SAND were not affected
The affected bridge deployments were on Base and BNB Smart Chain.
SAND on Ethereum and Polygon was not part of the compromised deployment.
The broader token supply was not rewritten as a result of compensation.
Pre-exploit snapshots determine eligibility
Eligibility is based on balances immediately before the exploit.
Base
- block 50,283,188
- August 21, 2026 at 23:42:03 UTC
BNB Smart Chain
- block 117,322,025
- August 21, 2026 at 11:42:44 UTC
A user’s actions after the snapshot do not erase the entitlement recorded at the snapshot.
Compensation is 1:1 on Ethereum
Eligible holders receive 1 SAND on Ethereum for each eligible affected SAND.
The compensation is treasury-funded.
Self-custody versus CEX users
Self-custody users use the official claim process from the wallet that held the snapshot balance.
Users whose affected SAND was held at a centralized exchange follow a different path. The Sandbox says it is coordinating directly with participating exchanges.
What a legitimate claim requires
The standard self-custody claim reportedly requires one transaction from the eligible wallet.
The legitimate flow does not require:
- token approvals;
- off-chain message signatures;
- sending funds elsewhere;
- paying a recovery fee.
Those distinctions are essential because compensation periods attract phishing.
What happens after September 22?
The ordinary on-chain claim window ends at 16:00 UTC today.
The Sandbox says holders who miss the deadline can request review case by case through the end of October.
That means September 22 is a hard portal deadline, but not necessarily a total forfeiture of every late entitlement.
The vulnerable contracts were retired
The compromised Base and BNB Smart Chain bridge/token deployments have been retired.
Future bridging is expected to use newly deployed contracts.
Affected legacy SAND remaining on the compromised chains should not be assumed to retain a normal redemption route merely because the balance remains visible on-chain.
Why the snapshot model matters
Bridge-hack compensation creates a difficult question: who should be compensated when unauthorized wrapped or synthetic tokens enter circulation?
The snapshot model freezes entitlement before the attack and avoids trying to determine compensation from post-exploit trading behaviour.
Advantages include:
- objective on-chain eligibility;
- no need to prove later trades;
- reduced race conditions;
- no compensation minting dilution.
Risks include:
- missed deadlines;
- inaccessible old wallets;
- CEX reconciliation;
- phishing;
- ownership disputes.
Evidence Status
Project-Reported Through Current Coverage
Standard claim Sep. 8–22; 16:00 UTC closing time; 1:1 Ethereum SAND compensation; Base/BNB snapshot blocks/times; CEX balances coordinated separately; late review through end-October; affected contracts retired.
Security / Incident Analysis
Approximately 14.742M SAND implicated; direct incident value around $697K and broader impact estimates around $1.5M; unauthorized bridge-message/minting mechanism.
Developing
Total compensation claimed, unclaimed entitlement, CEX distribution completion, late-claim approval rate and final recovery cost.
Risk Assessment
Medium recovery / user-access risk.
The exploit is no longer actively minting tokens, but affected users can still lose recovery value through missed deadlines, inaccessible wallets or phishing.
What to Watch Next
Claim completion, CEX distributions, late claims, final compensation accounting, new bridge deployment and residual legacy-chain SAND.
FAQ
When does the normal claim window close?
September 22 at 16:00 UTC.
What do eligible users receive?
1:1 compensation in SAND on Ethereum.
Is eligibility based on current balances?
No. It is based on pre-exploit snapshots.
Do CEX users use the same claim?
The Sandbox says exchange-held balances are coordinated separately.
Is a missed September 22 deadline automatically fatal?
Not necessarily. Late claims can reportedly be reviewed through the end of October.
Should a claim ask for token approval or a recovery fee?
The legitimate process is reported not to require either.