The Wall of Power
Bitcoin's security isn't based on secrets or obscurity; it's based on the raw, transparent cost to challenge it. The global hashrate represents this economic and energetic barrier.
Current Global Hashrate (Sept 2025)
1.083 ZH/s
That's over 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 hashes every second.
The Price of a Siege
To breach this wall, an attacker needs to command over 50% of the network's hashrate (a "51% Attack"). Our analysis shows this requires a monumental infrastructure project, equivalent to building multiple city-scale data centers dedicated solely to mining.
This immense cost makes a purely profit-driven attack irrational; the act of attacking would crash the value of any stolen assets. But what if the attacker isn't motivated by profit?
Anatomy of a Failure: The 51% Attack Cascade
If an entity achieves majority control, they don't just disrupt the network—they seize control of its reality. They become the arbiters of the transaction record, destroying the very trust that gives Bitcoin its value.
1. Seize Control
An attacker amasses over 50% of the global hashrate, giving them ultimate authority over the blockchain.
2. Wield Power
They can now unilaterally:
Block Transactions from anyone.
Halt the Network entirely.
Reverse Past Transactions (Double-Spend).
3. Trust Evaporates
The promise of an immutable, censorship-resistant ledger is broken. Confidence collapses, and with it, the network's value.
The True Adversary: Nation vs. Corporation
A rational corporation won't spend $100 billion to attack a network if it makes their potential reward worthless. A nation-state, however, plays by different rules. For a government that sees Bitcoin as a threat to its monetary sovereignty, spending that amount isn't an investment for profit—it's a defense expenditure to neutralize a competitor. This geopolitical motive changes the entire risk calculation.
The Achilles' Heel: Creeping Centralization
The network is only as strong as its most centralized point. Any concentration of power lowers the cost and complexity for a state-level actor to launch an attack. We must remain vigilant against these specific threats to decentralization.
Mining Pool Concentration
If a few large pools control a majority of hashrate, coercing or seizing control of those few entities becomes a viable attack vector.
Hardware Manufacturing
If one or two nations dominate ASIC chip production, they can potentially control supply, install backdoors, or weaponize their manufacturing dominance.
Geographic Clustering
When miners cluster in specific countries for cheap energy, they become susceptible to regulatory crackdowns or physical seizure by a single government.