BNB Chain Sees Persistent Sandwich Attacks as DEX Users Face Ongoing Exploits

BNB Smart Chain (BSC) is once again grappling with a resurgence in sandwich attacks, a form of on-chain market manipulation that has now affected more than 120,000 decentralised exchange (DEX) traders in just the past week.

This spike coincides with increased trading activity on the network and follows a trend that began in mid-May, according to Dragonfly data analyst Hildobby on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The attack volume has intensified, with more than 100,000 users targeted for two consecutive weeks and over $1 billion in related trading activity.

Sandwich attacks exploit the transparent structure of blockchain transactions.

In these attacks, a malicious actor identifies a pending trade in the public memory pool—or mempool—and places their own transactions before and after it.

This artificially drives up the price of the target token, allowing the attacker to buy low, inflate the price, and sell high within seconds, extracting profit at the victim’s expense.

These exploits are commonly automated using Maximum Extractable Value (MEV) bots, which are programmed to scan and reorder transactions for optimal gain.

The architecture of DEX makes them particularly vulnerable to such tactics.

Because all pending transactions are publicly visible before inclusion in a block, attackers can pay higher fees to incentivise validators or miners to prioritise and reorder trades in a way that benefits them.

While this remains a pressing issue on BSC, it is far from unique—networks like Ethereum and Solana also contend with similar challenges.

BSC has seen this pattern before.

On 1 December 2024, more than a third of all blocks on the chain included transactions impacted by sandwich attacks.

The scale of the problem is underscored by high-profile MEV operators like the address known as Jaredfromsubway.eth, which reportedly generated over $40 million in revenue—and $6.3 million in profit—in less than three months through sandwich attacks alone.

BNB Chain Has Dealt With Sandwich Attacks Before

Earlier this year, BNB Chain took proactive steps to combat the growing threat of sandwich attacks by introducing MEV protection across several key wallets.

The initiative offered users three distinct options: automatic protection, manual setup, or customisable safeguards tailored for advanced users.

Automatic protection was integrated into widely used wallets such as Trust Wallet, Binance Wallet, OKX Wallet, TokenPocket, and SafePal, while users of other wallets had the flexibility to implement protections manually.

Initially, this approach showed promising results.

Between late March and early May 2025, sandwich attacks on BNB Chain declined noticeably, suggesting the mitigation strategies were effective.

Yet, as DEX activity surged again in late May and early June, so did the presence of sandwich attacks—raising questions about the durability of the implemented defenses under high-volume conditions.

Interestingly, the resurgence in attacks has had only a limited impact on the broader network.

According to Dune data, BNB Chain processed approximately 58.45 million transactions in the final week of May and a staggering 69 million in the first week of June.

Despite this intense activity, sandwich attacks accounted for a relatively small share: just over 776,000 transactions were affected in the first week of June, and around 207,000 the week prior.

These figures are dwarfed by the total transaction volume, indicating that while the attacks have returned, their reach remains comparatively narrow.

Perhaps even more notable is the sharp decline in the number of active sandwich bots.

Since early April, BNB Chain has seen fewer than 300 such bots operating weekly—down dramatically from a peak of nearly 9,000 in mid-February.

This steep reduction suggests that while MEV protection may not have eliminated the threat entirely, it has significantly raised the barrier to exploitation.

As network activity continues to climb, BNB Chain's evolving security architecture will likely be tested again.

BSC Sees Uptick in Transactions Amidst Ecosystem Growth

The recent surge in transaction volume on BSC can be largely attributed to the launch of the Binance Alpha programme on 20 May.

Designed to spotlight early-stage Web3 projects, the initiative grants users early access to tokens and airdrops—an enticing incentive that has rapidly attracted a wave of new participants to the network.

As a result, DEX activity on BSC has soared to record highs.

Data from DeFiLlama reveals that over the past 30 days, BSC has dominated all other networks in DEX trading volume, recording an impressive $147.18 billion.

This figure significantly outpaces Solana, which ranks second with $79.31 billion. On a daily basis, BSC continues to lead with a trading volume of $3.63 billion, solidifying its position as the most active DEX ecosystem in the current market cycle.

The impact of the Binance Alpha programme extends beyond raw volume.

Notably, BSC has overtaken Solana in meme coin trading—an area often seen as a proxy for retail user engagement and speculative activity.

This shift underscores the broad appeal and reach of the initiative across both seasoned traders and newer crypto participants.

However, the meteoric rise has not been without scepticism.

Some analysts suggest that a significant portion of this trading activity may be artificially inflated through wash trading, as users attempt to maximise their rewards by farming points within the Alpha programme.

If true, this raises important questions about the sustainability and authenticity of BSC’s recent growth—highlighting a tension between incentivised engagement and genuine network utility.