The Sandbox Alerts Community of Security Breach, Warns Users Against Interacting With Suspicious Emails: All Details

This incident marks the first major breach reported by the Web3 sector in 2023.

Written by Radhika Parashar, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 3 March 2023 14:49 IST

The Sandbox Alerts Community of Security Breach, Warns Users Against Interacting With Suspicious Emails: All Details

Photo Credit: LinkedIn/ Standard Chartered Bank

The Sandbox is owned by Hong Kong-based Animoca Brands

Highlights

The Sandbox users have been asked to beware of phishing attempts
The email is titled ‘The Sandbox Game (PURELAND) Access’
Several brands use The Sandbox for their metaverse presence

The Sandbox, a popular metaverse firm, has warned community members of a security breach. As per its most recent blog post, the platform has revealed that an unauthorised third part has managed to bypass its security measures and may have gathered details of its users. The Sandbox community has been warned against interacting with any suspicious email, which may allow attackers to access and steal their digital assets. This incident marks the first major breach reported by the Web3 sector in 2023.

The malicious email, that may have reached the email inboxes of members of The Sandbox community, is titled ‘The Sandbox Game (PURELAND) Access'. The mail contains links to malware that is capable of installing itself secretly on the hardware of unsuspecting users and accessing their information.

“An unauthorised third party had gained access to the computer of an employee of The Sandbox. This enabled the third party to access a number of email addresses to which it then sent an email,” the official blog post states

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The Web3 game ecosystem provider detected the breach at the end of last month. It is now reaching out to users who may have received the malicious phishing email. These people have been instructed to not open, play, or download anything from the links they have received in the email.

“We have blocked the employee's accounts and access to The Sandbox, reformatted the employee's laptop, and reset all related passwords including requiring two-factor authentication. We have not identified any further impacts. However, we are working to monitor the situation,” the blog added.

The Sandbox has asked its community members to run a trusted antivirus as well as reformat affected systems. Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong-based game software firm, purchased the mobile game firm called The Sandbox in 2018. Animoca later revamped the platform with the metaverse twist.

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In recent times, The Sandbox metaverse has emerged as a hotspot for several brands looking to establish themselves in the metaverse. Last June, NYC's iconic Times Square announced its address in the metaverse.

Standard Charted Bank, Dubai's virtual assets regulator, Mastercard, and HSBC Bank have also created their virtual spaces in The Sandbox metaverse.

Following its success, Animoca has decided to invest more in the sector and participate in the expansion and adoption of the metaverse technology. In December, Animoca Brands revealed its plan to unveil a mega-fund of $2 billion (roughly Rs. 16,260 crore), dedicated to the metaverse business.

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Further reading: Cryptocurrency, Metaverse, The Sandbox, Breach, Hack

Radhika Parashar

Email Radhika

Radhika Parashar is a senior correspondent for Gadgets 360. She has been reporting on tech and telecom for the last three years now and will be focussing on writing about all things crypto. Besides this, she is a major sitcom nerd and often replies in Chandler Bing and Michael Scott references. For tips or queries you could reach out to her at RadhikaP@ndtv.com. More