Solana shuts down sandwich attack vulnerability

Solana is no longer threatened by sandwich attacks. A mix of slower token activity and more efficient transaction ordering and protection has solved the issue.

Solana activity is no longer defined by sandwich attacks, and daily losses are limited. Most of the sandwich attacks happen for transactions under $1, with no significant daily losses.

The main reason is the slowdown in token trading, with more deliberate DEX activity. Solana is still a leader for DEX trading, but MEV attackers have also given up on intercepting transactions. In the past month, MEV attackers only paid 5 SOL for bot activity, based on Dune Analytics data.

Malicious sandwich attacks are no longer the main use of MEV techniques. Solana has evolved to use transaction ordering for better efficiency, rather than front-running token deals. As Cryptopolitan reported, Jito has been one of the main drivers in limiting Solana sandwich attacks. 

Solana transaction ordering still matters

Solana users have still spent a significant amount of fees on Solana ordering. In 2025, the network evolved as block transaction ordering became essential.

Jito is still the main hub for efficient app transactions, which shifted chain usage from sandwich attacks to other types of block space ordering. Solana has increased its safety with more efficient apps, anti-spam measures, and improved validator rules, noted Lucas Bruder, co-founder and CEO of Jito Labs.

“Malicious extraction now represents a very small fraction of blockspace activity, while the majority of transaction ordering value reflects legitimate competition for inclusion and speed,” stated Bruder in an X post.

Solana has also added private transaction routing, a trusted execution environment, such as Jito’s Block Assembly Marketplace, and a new proposal process that makes transactions confidential until execution. This makes predatory MEV bot strategies much harder to execute.

Solana may switch to permissioned systems

According to Jito’s plans, Solana may switch to new techniques for block ordering. MEV is not as efficient, as it leads to heightened competition. For instance, users paid over $1.5M in a single hour on January 20, 2025, to mint Official Trump (TRUMP) tokens.

Jito can keep altering Solana block ordering, as currently nearly 90% of transactions use Jito as their main safety tool. The validator and block builder have proposed a switch to Transaction Ordering Value, a neutral priority system that still recognizes the scarcity of block space, while not allowing malicious activities.

Solana block ordering also depends on infrastructure and proximity, similar to the traditional financial system when using electronic tools. Jito will keep capturing its usual fees, mostly by providing the best infrastructure for the increased Solana speed of execution.

The MEV debate versus rational block ordering shows Solana has evolved in the past year and may bring a more efficient block-building structure. Otherwise, competitive and haphazard MEV usage has generated up to $720M in annual bribes to find scarce block space, but has become too expensive for the old type of sandwich attacks.

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