Monero Community Responds to Hostile Mining Operation

The privacy-focused cryptocurrency Monero is facing an unprecedented network security challenge as the Qubic mining pool attempts a 51% takeover. Recent developments suggest the Monero community may be fighting back through alleged distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against the hostile mining operation.

Hashrate Warfare Erupts

Sergey Ivancheglo, the architect behind the takeover attempt, reported on social media platform X that his Qubic mining pool's hashrate dropped dramatically from 2.6 GH/s to 0.8 GH/s. He attributed this decline to sustained DDoS attacks potentially originating from Monero supporters. "We're building protections assuming they can attack indefinitely," Ivancheglo stated, suggesting attackers might be using Monero-mining botnets.

——This confrontation represents a critical test for decentralized networks' resilience against coordinated attacks——

Investigating the DDoS Claims

Independent verification by cryptocurrency journalists found the Qubic pool operating normally at press time, with average response times of 【0.188 seconds】 across multiple endpoints. While this doesn't confirm or deny previous attacks, it raises questions about the current severity of the situation. MiningPoolStats data shows Qubic stopped reporting hashrate on July 30, though the pool claims intermittent mining peaks at 1.6 GH/s.

Developer Denies Involvement

XMRig developer Sergei Chernykh strongly denied accusations of orchestrating the alleged attacks. "I would never resort to illegal methods like DDoS," Chernykh told reporters, while hinting at undisclosed legal countermeasures. The developer emphasized that vague public statements were intentionally misleading to protect ongoing defensive strategies.

Understanding the Takeover Threat

The Qubic network's strategy involves redirecting Monero mining rewards to fund its own ecosystem through token burns and buybacks. Ivancheglo's public statements confirm plans to reject blocks from other pools upon achieving majority hashrate. Cryptocurrency security experts note this would effectively centralize Monero's mining operations under Qubic's control.

——Network decentralization faces its most serious challenge since Monero's creation——

Community Defense Strategies

Chernykh advocates redirecting hashrate to P2Pool, Monero's decentralized mining solution. "Having two or three pools controlling majority hashrate has been a long-term problem," he noted. The Monero community appears to be employing multiple defensive tactics, though the exact nature and legality of these measures remain unclear.

Broader Implications

This confrontation highlights the vulnerabilities of proof-of-work cryptocurrencies to hashrate attacks. Monero's privacy features make it particularly attractive for illicit markets, with reports suggesting nearly half of darknet vendors accept XMR. The outcome of this power struggle could significantly impact cryptocurrency security paradigms and regulatory approaches worldwide.

As the situation develops, all parties emphasize their commitment to preserving network integrity, though through markedly different methods. The cryptocurrency community watches closely as this unprecedented challenge to decentralized governance unfolds.