- Qubic conducts a 51% Monero attack, inducing network concerns.
- Monero price fell 8% post-attack.
- High operational costs make sustained attacks unlikely.
Qubic mining pool reportedly achieved a 51% attack on Monero, confirmed by SlowMist founder Yu Xian, causing significant disruption and reactions in the cryptocurrency community.
The attack threatens Monero’s decentralization, affecting market confidence and coin value, highlighting vulnerabilities in blockchain ecosystems reliant on distributed power control.
51% Attack on Monero
Qubic mining pool recently achieved a 51% attack on the Monero network, as confirmed by SlowMist founder Yu Xian. Yu Xian commented on the questionable profitability, stating: “It is unclear how economically profitable this strategy is,” reflecting on the experiment’s cost. This event temporarily compromised network decentralization and raised concerns about the economic impacts.
Key figures involved include Sergey Ivancheglo of Qubic, who described the action as an economic demonstration, not intended to harm the network. Yu Xian noted Qubic controlled as much as 52.36% of Monero’s hashrate. https://twitter.com/evilcos/status/1955199116499370392
Market Reactions to the Attack
Market reactions were swift, with Monero’s price dropping by approximately 8-8.6%. This resulted from diminished confidence and amplifying fears of possible repetition. The QUBIC token saw a speculative increase of 4%.
Experts like Charles Guillemet highlighted the prohibitively high cost of maintaining such an attack, estimated at about $75 million daily, which experts argue is economically unsustainable.
Community Response and Historical Context
The event prompted community discussions over mining centralization vulnerabilities. Monero developers and community members have called for distributed hashpower to mitigate future centralization risks.
Historical 51% attacks on other Proof-of-Work networks offer insights into potential long-term market distrust. Analysts note that coins like Ethereum Classic and Bitcoin Gold faced similar challenges, necessitating network upgrades following the attacks.
