Share this article
Sia Network Releases Hard Fork Code to Block Crypto Mining Giants
Sia has released the formal code for an imminent hard fork that will block cryptocurrency mining firms like Bitmain from its blockchain network.
By Wolfie Zhao
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 8:30 a.m. Published Oct 19, 2018, 12:00 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
The sia blockchain network has released the formal code for an imminent hard fork that will block miners using hardware produced by Bitmain and other major manufacturers.
David Vorick, founder and CEO of Nebulous – the for-profit firm behind the $239 million distributed storage protocol – announced the release of code version 1.3.6 in sia's official channel on Discord Tuesday, reminding miners that the hard fork will be activated on Oct. 31.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
"All users who want to stay on the Sia network need to upgrade prior to the hard fork date. All major exchanges will be participating in the hard fork," Vorick said.
As CoinDesk reported, after a year of debate, the sia blockchain community decided to enact a hard fork early in October. After activation, the new code will ensure only application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) processors designed by Nebulous subsidiary Obelisk can be used to mine the network for block rewards.
As a result, other ASIC miners, including those made by industry giants like Bitmain and Innosilicon, will become blocked from the sia blockchain at the end of this month.
Bitmain launched its AntMiner A3 product in January specifically targeting the network's token siacoin, as well as adding support for siacoin on its mining pool, AntPool.
In his Tuesday post, Vorick said the new code also included major updates to resist Sybil attacks – which create fake identities to exploit a network – and "other methods that could be used to manipulate a host unfairly into the top ranks."
For miners who do not wish to align with the hard fork, sia's network developers are also offering an alternative upgrade, version 1.3.5. Released alongside version 1.3.6, the alternative also fixes detected security issues, but omits the hard fork portion of the code.
"The only difference between v1.3.5 and v1.3.6 is the activation of the hardfork, meaning that users can safely upgrade to v1.3.5," Vorick wrote.
Stop sign image via CoinDesk
More For You
Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale.
What to know:
Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.
The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility.
More For You
HYPE token's 30% surge is a story of crypto-traditional market convergence, treasury firm says
HYPE has surged 30%, outperforming bitcoin, ether and the CoinDesk 20 index by a big margin.
What to know:
- Hyperliquid's HYPE token has surged more than 30% to $33, far outpacing bitcoin, ether and the broader crypto market, as trading activity on the platform accelerates.
- The token rally represents the merging of traditional assets with the crypto world, according to Hyperion DeFi, which is a HYPE treasury company.
- Originally a crypto perpetuals exchange, Hyperliquid has expanded into tokenized trading of equity indices, individual stocks, commodities and major fiat pairs via its HIP-3 upgrade.
Top Stories
