Monero ( XMR), the leading privateness-centered cryptocurrency by market cap, faces an extra special menace as rival mission Qubic prepares to try reduction an eye on of over 51% of its mining hashrate starting up Aug. 2.
Monero Neighborhood Faces One more Challenge
Qubic founder Sergey Ivancheglo (known as CFB) has hinted at a planned 51% attack on social media this week. The operation targets to dominate Monero’s community except Aug. 31, doubtlessly enabling double-spending, transaction censorship, or orphan blocks. CFB claims this demonstrates Qubic’s Helpful Proof of Work (uPoW) technology moderately than making an try to abolish Monero.
Qubic’s uPoW machine lets in its “AI miners” to simultaneously win its community and mine Monero for the length of sluggish cycles. Rewards from mining XMR are remodeled to USDT, aged to buy Qubic’s QUBIC tokens, and burned – growing a a success deflationary model. This integration, active since Could perhaps perhaps 2025, has drawn significant Monero mining energy. Qubic’s half of Monero’s world hashrate fluctuated between 20-40% in July, nearing stages triggering neighborhood fear.
As of Sunday, July 27, 2025, Qubic is flexing its muscle, commanding 26.96% of Monero’s 6.12 gigahash per 2d (GH/s) hashrate. Monero advocates inform Qubic artificially inflates its “self-reported” hashrate (“spoofing”) and parasitizes their community. They warn that a a success 51% attack could well well well devastate trust in Monero, broadly aged for non-public transactions.
“Let’s scheme close this critically and no longer wait except it’s too slack to scheme close a scrutinize at and act on it,” a Redditor posting on the r/monero subreddit said.
Previous threats (delight in MineXMR in 2022) had been mitigated by decentralization and calls for pool migration. CFB urged exchanges by X to require 13 XMR transaction confirmations rather than 10 for the length of the take a look at. The mission insists Qubic offers “economic incentive,” no longer damage, and that Monero’s privateness arena of expertise will protect its keep. Qubic supporters echo this scrutinize, framing it as uPoW validation. The Monero neighborhood is divided on responses: Some roam switching to decentralized pools delight in P2Pool; others suggest protocol changes.
XMR advocates apprehension customers could well well well also migrate to replacement networks delight in Zcash or Zano if Monero self belief erodes. Others argue that chasing ASIC resistance has constantly been a futile effort. Neutral observers call this a stress take a look at for both initiatives and proof-of-work vulnerabilities. If Qubic succeeds without damage, it can well well validate uPoW; if chaos ensues, it can well well also make stronger Monero’s resilience no subject transient keep risks.
As of July 27, Qubic hasn’t sustained 51% reduction an eye on, but its hashrate has fluctuated near severe thresholds.