Breaking: Wanchain Cardano Bridge Breached in $13M Hack, 515M NIGHT Tokens Drained
A major exploit hit the Wanchain-operated bridge connecting Cardano and BNB Chain on July 21, 2026. Attackers drained approximately 515 million $NIGHT tokens, worth around $13 million, from the bridge treasury. This sent $NIGHT tumbling more than 30% to a record low near $0.016. Wanchain has taken t
A major security breach struck the Wanchain-operated cross-chain bridge connecting Cardano and BNB Chain on July 21, 2026. Attackers successfully drained approximately 515 million NIGHT tokens from the bridge's treasury, with the stolen assets valued at roughly $13 million at the time of the exploit. In response, Wanchain took the affected bridge offline and confirmed it has launched a formal investigation into the incident.
The targeted bridge facilitated transfers of NIGHT, the native token of the Midnight Network, a privacy-focused sidechain built within the Cardano ecosystem. Cross-chain bridges have historically represented a significant vulnerability in the broader blockchain infrastructure, as they hold large pools of locked assets that can attract sophisticated attackers. Wanchain, a blockchain interoperability protocol, has operated multiple bridges connecting various networks as part of its core service offering.
The immediate market reaction was severe, with NIGHT dropping more than 30% following news of the breach, briefly touching a record low near $0.016. The incident adds to a growing list of high-profile bridge exploits that have collectively cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars, continuing to raise questions about the security standards applied to cross-chain infrastructure.
Investors and developers connected to both the Midnight Network and Cardano ecosystem will be watching closely for Wanchain's post-mortem findings, any potential recovery efforts, and whether the bridge will be restored with enhanced security measures in place.
Source: CoinGape
