Wanchain Cardano Bridge Hit by $10M NIGHT Token Heist

A recent bridge exploit on Wanchain's Cardano to BNB Chain bridge has resulted in the theft of approximately $10 million worth of NIGHT tokens.

The incident occurred on July 21, 2026, and was reported by security firm BlockSec's Phalcon monitor. In four rapid transactions over an eight-minute window, hackers exploited a signed-message encoding flaw in the TreasuryCheck validator to steal 515.2 million $NIGHT tokens from the bridge treasury.

The attackers then funneled the stolen tokens into a Cardano wallet and liquidated roughly 90% of the haul through DEX swaps and DeFi protocols. The breach was contained within Wanchain's third-party bridging infrastructure, with the Midnight protocol and its Layer-1 remaining uncompromised.

The Wanchain team has acknowledged the incident and is committed to full transparency, promising an update as soon as their investigation is complete. This event adds to a long list of bridge exploits that have cost the industry billions since 2017, highlighting persistent vulnerabilities in bridging solutions despite years of industry warnings.