Qubic Founder Sparks Debate Over Potential 51 Percent Attack on Zcash Blockchain

Qubic Sparks Controversy After Hinting at 51% Attack on Zcash

Sergey Ivancheglo, the founder of the AI crypto protocol Qubic, has stirred significant debate in the crypto community by suggesting the possibility of a 51% attack on the privacy token Zcash. Ivancheglo, also known as Come-From-Beyond, shared his views on X, questioning whether it would be morally justified to attack the Zcash blockchain as part of an economic experiment. He criticized Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn for being government-friendly and claimed that the network is not as privacy-focused as it claims to be.

“It’s no big secret that the founder of Zcash likes to kiss up to the government when it’s profitable, and only those who don’t care about privacy (or are misinformed) use $ZEC.” – Sergey Ivancheglo

Ivancheglo did not confirm whether such an attack would actually take place, instead framing it as a question for his followers to consider. He further argued that freedom of speech is already guaranteed by the American constitution and noted that, as a Belarusian citizen, he is not subject to US lawsuits due to sanctions.

• Some crypto users warned that publicly documenting planned 51% attacks could amount to market manipulation, as such posts alone might influence token prices.
• Others pointed out that Ivancheglo was taking a 2017 post by Wilcox-O'Hearn out of context, noting that the Zcash founder has since clarified his stance and is not interested in changing the core protocol.

Reactions within the crypto community have been mixed. While some praised the idea, believing it could benefit the network, others expressed concern that such an attack would primarily harm Zcash users. There are also voices defending Zcash as one of the best privacy-focused blockchain networks, arguing that unless Qubic offers greater privacy and anonymity, damaging Zcash would be pointless for users.

Recently, the Qubic mining pool temporarily took control of the Monero blockchain and reorganized it, causing a sharp drop in XMR’s value. Although the token has since recovered, this move was part of an experiment to demonstrate Qubic’s capabilities and highlight that any Proof-of-Work chain can be attacked if miners are given better economic incentives. While the incident did not significantly impact Monero’s functionality, it was enough for Kraken to temporarily suspend XMR deposits and raise awareness about the need for better protection against centralization in PoW networks.

Despite the controversy, the possibility of a 51% attack has not negatively impacted the ZEC token, which rose by 3.15% in the last 24 hours according to CoinMarketCap. However, ZEC has struggled throughout 2025, losing 37% of its value since the beginning of the year. In contrast, QUBIC has shown a positive year-to-date performance of 4.24% and a remarkable 135% increase over the past 90 days, with a market capitalization of around $400 million.

• Many believe it would be difficult for Qubic to gain enough ASIC miners to control the Zcash network.
• Any coordinated attack on a privacy coin could impact its price, especially if successful.

Summary Box:

• Qubic founder Sergey Ivancheglo has hinted at a possible 51% attack on Zcash, sparking debate over the ethics and potential impact of such an action.
• The crypto community remains divided, with some supporting the idea and others warning of harm to users and market manipulation risks.
• Zcash (ZEC) has risen 3.15% in the last 24 hours but is down 37% year-to-date, while Qubic (QUBIC) has gained 4.24% YTD and 135% in the last 90 days.
• Recent Qubic experiments on Monero have highlighted vulnerabilities in Proof-of-Work networks and the need for improved decentralization.

Source: Cryptopolitan

Sources:

• Qubic löst Gegenreaktion aus, nachdem er einen 51%-Angriff auf Zcash angedeutet hat