MEV Sandwich Bot ‘arsc’ Profits $30 Million from Solana Users in Two Months

The notorious maximal extractible value (MEV) sandwich bot named “arsc” has managed to accumulate approximately $30 million by exploiting Solana users through MEV attacks in a span of just two months.

MEV sandwich attacks occur when an attacker skillfully positions their own transactions around a victim’s transaction, manipulating prices and capitalizing on the situation.

They profit by purchasing the victim’s tokens at a price lower than the market value and swiftly selling them within the same block.

MEV Bot arsc Garners Profits

On June 15, Ben Coverston, the founder of cryptocurrency firm MRGN Research, shed light on the actions of this specific sandwich bot, “arsc,” which has been surreptitiously amassing profits from unsuspecting Solana network users.

Coverston noted that the bot, primarily operating from a wallet address labeled “9973h…zyWp6,” seems to be employing a cold storage strategy to safeguard its funds.

“It is quite inactive and, judging by its behavior, is almost certainly a locked-down, cold wallet,” Coverston stated.

It seems they don't enjoy the attention, as they've recently gone to great lengths to hide their activities and profits.

BCbrp is now their main "SOL bank" for sandwiches, and they use dozens of signers/tippers.

Stay safe out there, folks. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/RVGFggcGJs

— Ben (@HypoNyms) June 15, 2024

At present, this wallet holds over $19 million in total funds, including approximately $17 million worth of Solana tokens and $1.1 million in Circle’s USD Coin stablecoin.

Additionally, smaller amounts of wrapped-SOL (wSOL), Cringe Coin (CRINGE), and Kabosu (KAB) are also present in the wallet.

Another wallet of significance, identified as “Ai4zq…VXKKT,” is considerably more active within decentralized finance activities, according to Coverston.

He remarked that the wallet is gradually converting SOL into USDC through JUP DCA and holds significant positions in Kamino and various LSTs. This particular wallet holds over $9.9 million in total funds, primarily comprising non-SOL tokens.

Coverston further pointed out a third wallet address, “BCbrp…vi58q,” which he believes serves as arsc’s “main SOL bank.”

The wallet employs numerous signers and tippers to execute the sandwich attacks.

Collectively, these three wallets hold a total of $29.8 million based on current prices, and the operator behind arsc appears to be actively trying to maintain a low profile.

“It seems they don’t enjoy the attention, as they’ve recently gone to great lengths to hide their activities and profits,” Coverston added.

How MEV Sandwich Bots Work?

MEV sandwich bots rely on sophisticated algorithms to identify and exploit such profit opportunities.

Similar activities have been observed among maximal extractible value bots on Ethereum as well.

In fact, research from MEVBlocker suggests that more than $1.38 billion had been extracted from well-intentioned Ethereum users by April 2023.

Earlier this year, a MEV arbitrage bot operator, known as 2Fast, achieved a profit of $1.8 million from a single transaction bundle.

The bot, under the control of 2Fast, transformed an initial investment of 703 SOL, valued at approximately $70,000, into a whopping 19,035 SOL, equivalent to around $1.9 million.

An additional 890 SOL was generously tipped to Figment, a prominent network validator.