How the Monero Community Thwarted a Psychological Attack on Its Network

By Daniel Brummitt

Over the past few weeks, the Monero community faced a unique threat—not from a technical exploit, but from a psychological operation. The claim that $Qubic had surpassed 50% of Monero’s hashrate sent shockwaves through the ecosystem. But as I observed the situation, it became clear that this was not a traditional 51% attack. Instead, it was a game-theoretic play designed to manipulate miners through perception, not raw power.

Here’s what really happened—and why Monero’s resilience matters.

The Illusion of Dominance

Qubic’s strategy relied on three key tactics:

1. Selfish Mining: Selectively withholding and releasing blocks to create short-term spikes in apparent dominance.

2. Psychological Pressure: Loudly claiming majority control to sow doubt and incentivize defections.

3. New Hashrate Injection: Unlike a simple pool switch, Qubic introduced new hashrate (estimated +5%), making the threat credible.

This wasn’t just a bluff—it was a coordinated stag hunt. If miners believed others would abandon honest pools, rational self-interest would push them to defect, actually handing Qubic the majority they falsely claimed.

Why It Failed

Monero’s community didn’t take the bait. Miners waited for verifiable data, not social media hype. Key lessons:

• Perception is a vulnerability. Threats don’t need real hashrate to destabilize—just enough fear to break coordination.

• Decentralization saved us. P2Pool and solo mining reduced leverage for attackers.

• Silence is strength. Rushing to respond to unverified claims plays into an attacker’s hands.

What Comes Next

1. Improve Miner Coordination: Trusted channels for real-time data sharing could neutralize future psyops.

2. Push Decentralization Harder: More solo/P2Pool mining = fewer single points of failure.

3. Revisit ASIC Resistance? RandomX’s accessibility is a double-edged sword. Scarcity (via ASIC friction) may enhance security.

4. Protocol Tweaks: Penalizing selfish mining behaviors could deter future exploits.

The Bigger Picture

As someone who’s exposed government influence campaigns (even featured on the BBC), I recognize a PR play when I see one. Qubic’s narrative was hot air—Monero’s miners stayed cool.

This wasn’t just a win for $XMR; it was a masterclass in how decentralized networks resist manipulation. The attack surface isn’t just code—it’s human psychology. And this time, the good guys outplayed the game theorists.

Monero reigns supreme.

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Further Reading

• Thread on Qubic’s hashrate claims

• Why decentralization matters

• No evidence of a real majority-hash selfish-mining attack

• Bots, lies, and FUD attack

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