Monero Mining Pool Qubic Under DDoS Attack Amid 51% Takeover Battle

The Monero (XMR) network recently found itself at the center of a high-stakes cybersecurity confrontation involving the Qubic mining pool, which was attempting a 51% attack on the cryptocurrency’s blockchain [1]. Sergey Ivancheglo, a developer and figure associated with the attack, disclosed on X that the Qubic mining pool was under a suspected distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, which significantly reduced its hashrate from 2.6 gigahashes per second to 0.8 GH/s [1]. He attributed the attack to Monero defenders, suggesting that the perpetrators may already have control over a botnet used for Monero mining, allowing them to carry out the DDoS without financial cost [1].

The Qubic mining pool had been leveraging its growing computational power to attempt a takeover of Monero, using the mined cryptocurrency to fund token burns and buybacks within the Qubic ecosystem [1]. This strategy has drawn criticism from Monero’s community, which views it as a direct threat to the decentralized and privacy-centric nature of the network. Ivancheglo himself has openly admitted that the goal of the Qubic operation was to centralize Monero by controlling a majority of its hashrate, effectively sidelining other mining pools [1].

In response to the alleged DDoS, Ivancheglo claimed that his team had implemented protective measures to mitigate the impact. However, Cointelegraph verified that direct queries to the Qubic mining pool returned average response times of 0.188 seconds, with no dropped requests—suggesting that any ongoing DDoS may not be affecting the pool’s operations in a measurable way [1]. This discrepancy has raised questions about the legitimacy and effectiveness of the attack, with some observers noting that Qubic has not reported hashrate data since July 30, and its intermittent mining operations only peak at 1.6 GH/s when mining Monero [1].

Adding to the controversy, Ivancheglo has accused Sergei Chernykh, the developer of Monero mining software XMRig, of orchestrating the attacks [1]. In a verified Reddit comment, Chernykh denied these allegations and expressed frustration with what he described as a “defamation,” emphasizing that he would never engage in illegal activities like DDoS attacks. While the authenticity of some communications, particularly those from Discord, could not be confirmed by Cointelegraph, the claims highlight the deepening divide within the Monero ecosystem [1].

Monero, known for its strong privacy features, remains a popular choice in the dark web and is reportedly accepted by nearly half of all black markets [1]. This has made it a frequent target of both regulatory scrutiny and cyber conflict among competing groups seeking to influence its network. The alleged DDoS attack on Qubic underscores the growing complexity of these battles, as developers and miners navigate both technical and ethical challenges in the pursuit of control and influence.

The event, while not directly linked to price volatility, has fueled discussions among blockchain experts about the risks of centralized mining power and the potential for retaliatory cyber actions within the crypto community [1]. As the Monero community continues to defend its decentralized infrastructure, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities that can arise when competing interests collide in a digital landscape where anonymity and control are fiercely contested.

Source:

[1] Qubic's Mining Pool Attacking Monero Falls Under Attack (https://cointelegraph.com/news/monero-qubic-ddos-attack-pool-hashrate)

[3] Chud :chudsmug: uses a shitcoin :crap: to 51% monero (https://rdrama.net/h/slackernews/post/385556/chud-chudsmug-uses-a-shitcoin-crap)