51% attacks have always been an animating theme in blockchain security. Since the integrity guarantees come from distribution, how do they break when one player gets the majority of the hashrate?

Well, that was the question facing the Monero community in August after an actor entered the game, rained hashpower from the sky, and (very) publicly pulled off a six block reorg of the chain.

But immediately after the announcement of a successful 51% attack hit the TL, another narrative emerged, claiming the numbers didn’t add up. No one saw the hashrate pass 50% of the network. And, you see, reorgs can happen at significantly less than 50%.

In this episode, we cover selfish mining, the events around Monero in mid August, and the unique approach to Proof-of-Work that let it all come together.

Sometimes, all you need is a bit of luck.