The Monero team has released an update called Flourine Fermi, which is designed to strengthen user protection against so-called ‘spy nodes’ on the network. The announcement appeared on Thursday on X. The developers noted that installing this client is strongly recommended.
In the Monero community, ‘spy nodes’ are understood as malicious points in the network, either standalone or as part of a botnet, which can track IP addresses and link them to transactions.
The main innovation is an improved peer selection algorithm. Now the system avoids connecting to large subnets, which are most often used by such nodes. Instead, users are automatically connected to safer points. The update also includes fixes that improve the stability and reliability of the client.
The update is another step to protect Monero privacy
The Flourine Fermi update is another way to protect against surveillance on the Monero network. ‘Spy nodes’ undermine the very idea of privacy, and the community has long been searching for ways to fight them.
Users run their own nodes, set up additional tools, and share working methods. All for one thing — to maintain anonymity and prevent malicious points from tracking transactions.
One such idea was proposed by researchers from the Monero Research Lab at the end of 2024. According to their plan, each node operator will be able to create their own ban list with IP addresses suspected of surveillance. This should reduce the risk of connecting to malicious points.
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But this measure is not a panacea. Those who run spy nodes can easily change addresses and return to the network under different IP.
A more reliable solution is considered to be Dandelion++ — a technology that prevents tracking the connection between an IP address and a transaction. It is actively promoted within the community.
Concerns about Monero privacy risks became especially loud in September 2024, when a video from Chainalysis leaked to the network. A source, who wished to remain anonymous, provided a recording claiming that the company could track transactions on the Monero network as early as 2021 — using its own malicious nodes.
