- Monero developers outline options to harden proof of work after alleged majority-hash incident.
- Kraken re-enables XMR deposits with 720 confirmations as Qubic eyes Dogecoin next.
Monero contributors are weighing changes to the network’s proof-of-work security after a single pool claimed it briefly controlled a majority of hashrate and executed a multi-block reorganisation.
A new meta-issue filed in the Monero Research Lab lists concrete options that range from a finality layer to miner-signature requirements.
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Monero developers list specific countermeasures including finality layers, merge mining and miner-signed blocks
The proposals under discussion include adding a finality layer on top of proof of work, pursuing merge mining with a larger network, requiring miners to sign blocks with keys tied to payouts, and mechanisms that favour solo or P2Pool-style mining.
The issue also explores “local PoW” that pairs RandomX with a commodity ASIC to raise the cost of rented hashpower and selfish mining, alongside a table of trade-offs that flags which paths would require a hard fork.
The debate follows claims by Qubic, a separate layer-one project running a coordinated mining pool, that it achieved dominance of Monero’s hashrate and reorganised blocks as part of a live “takeover demo.”
Qubic’s blog describes a month-long campaign and asserts a period in which its pool mined a majority of blocks, framing the exercise as a demonstration of incentive engineering.
Community members and outside observers dispute whether true majority control was sustained, highlighting gaps between pool-reported metrics and independent estimates.
Kraken pauses and then re-opens XMR deposits with 720-confirmation requirement amid hashrate consolidation
Exchange risk controls shifted in parallel. Kraken temporarily paused Monero deposits after detecting that a single pool exceeded half of the network’s total hashrate.
The exchange re-enabled deposits three days later, but now requires 720 confirmations and reserves the right to halt credits if uncertainty persists. The incident log cites “significant consolidation of hash rate under a single entity” as the reason for the tightened stance.
Qubic’s founder, known online as Come-from-Beyond, has since said the pool will continue mining Monero while preparing to target another ASIC-friendly proof-of-work chain.
#Monero folks accuse the #Qubic pool of faking its hashrate. For some reason Qubic's info matches mined blocks. I guess some Monero devs run own pools and inflate their hashrate to make it look like the situation is less severe than it actually is. :trollface: pic.twitter.com/ttYCF7LulL
— Come-from-Beyond (@c___f___b) August 19, 2025
Following a community vote, he stated that Dogecoin was selected. He also noted that Dogecoin preparation will take months, during which the pool remains on Monero.
Monero participants are divided over the interpretation of network data and the extent of any attack. Some developers and researchers argue that Qubic’s share was overstated and that a six-block reorganisation does not prove lasting majority control.
Others point to the operational risk of concentrated mining and support fast-track mitigations.
The #Qubic community has chosen #Dogecoin. pic.twitter.com/EnevIZUAw5
— Come-from-Beyond (@c___f___b) August 17, 2025
Cointelegraph’s summary of proposals includes exploring Dash-style ChainLocks implemented through a quorum of special nodes layered atop proof of work, while the GitHub discussion weighs the centralisation risks of such an approach against reorg resistance.
The options now under consideration range from software-only measures that pool operators can deploy quickly to protocol changes that would require coordination and a hard fork.
The path chosen will signal how far Monero is prepared to go to deter rented hashpower and selfish-mining strategies without compromising the project’s preference for commodity hardware and decentralised mining.
At the time of this press, Monero (XMR) is trading at $269.91, representing a $1.21 increase (0.45%) over the previous 24 hours. The intraday high reached $271.95, and the low dipped to $249.35.
