In the world of cryptocurrency, a cunning bot known as "arsc" has been quietly raking in a staggering $30 million from unsuspecting Solana users over the past two months. This bot, infamous for its maximal extractible value (MEV) attacks, has been using a clever tactic called the "MEV sandwich" to manipulate prices and reap the benefits.

The MEV sandwich attack involves an attacker placing their own transactions before and after a victim's transaction, effectively "sandwiching" it. This allows the attacker to buy the victim's token at a lower price and then sell it at a higher price within the same block, pocketing the difference. Ben Coverston, founder of MRGN Research, notes that arsc has gone to great lengths to avoid detection while profiting from Solana users.

One of the bot's primary wallets, identified as "9973h…zyWp6," appears to be used for cold storage. This wallet holds over $19 million, including $17 million in Solana tokens and $1.1 million in USD Coin (USDC). Another wallet, "Ai4zq…VXKKT," is more active in decentralized finance activities, converting Solana into USDC and holding significant positions in various tokens.

The third wallet, "BCbrp…vi58q," is believed to be arsc's main SOL bank, using multiple signers and tippers to commit the attacks. These three wallets combined hold a total of $29.8 million. Coverston suggests that the operator behind arsc is trying to keep a low profile, as they have recently taken steps to hide their activities and profits.

MEV sandwich bots like arsc often employ sophisticated algorithms to identify and exploit these opportunities for profit. These bots are not unique to Solana, as similar attacks have been seen on Ethereum, where over $1.38 billion was lost from unsuspecting users before April 2023.