Bitcoin Faces Centralization Risk as Two Mining Pools Near 50 Percent Hashrate Control
Autor: Mining Provider Editorial Staff
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Kategorie: News
Zusammenfassung: Two mining pools now control 49.5% of Bitcoin’s hashrate, raising concerns about a possible 51% attack, but experts say high costs make such an attack unlikely.
New Threat to Bitcoin: Is the First 51% Attack Imminent?
Recent weeks have seen renewed headlines about 51% attacks on Proof-of-Work (PoW) blockchains, triggered by Qubic campaigns that reignited debates about blockchain security. The central question: Could even Bitcoin, the world’s largest and most important blockchain, ever fall victim to such an attack? According to ICOBench.com, the situation has become particularly tense as two major mining pools are approaching control of approximately 50% of the total Bitcoin hashrate.
In detail, Foundry USA currently controls 32.3% of the Bitcoin hashrate, while AntPool holds 17.2%. Combined, this amounts to 49.5% of the network’s total hashrate. While this does not automatically constitute a threat, observers warn that any cooperation between these pools could pose a real risk to the network’s integrity. The article explains that a 51% attack would allow a single actor or coalition to reverse transactions, double-spend coins, or block new blocks, directly undermining the network’s trustworthiness.
| Mining Pool | Hashrate Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Foundry USA | 32.3 |
| AntPool | 17.2 |
| Total | 49.5 |
Historically, 51% attacks were considered mostly theoretical due to the immense costs outweighing potential gains. However, the rise of hashrate rental services now allows attackers to temporarily acquire enough computing power to launch targeted attacks. Past incidents have shown that smaller blockchains are especially vulnerable, with notable attacks on Expanse (EXP) in July 2019, Litecoin Cash (LCC) with six attacks in the same month, Vertcoin (VTC) in December 2019, and Bitcoin Gold (BTG) in January 2020.
- Expanse (EXP): July 2019
- Litecoin Cash (LCC): Six attacks in July 2019
- Vertcoin (VTC): December 2019
- Bitcoin Gold (BTG): January 2020
To date, Bitcoin has never experienced a 51% attack. The article recalls that in 2014, the mining pool GHash briefly reached the 51% threshold but voluntarily reduced its share to alleviate centralization concerns. Experts cited by ICOBench.com argue that private groups likely lack the resources to sustain an attack on Bitcoin, though state actors could theoretically attempt it. Nevertheless, the economic incentive remains weak, as such an attack would be extremely costly and offer little financial benefit.
"Bitcoin shows continued resilience. While the theoretical threat of a 51% attack cannot be completely ruled out, economic realities ultimately confirm Satoshi Nakamoto’s original assumption: An attack on Bitcoin simply isn’t worth it and could even strengthen long-term trust in crypto trading." (ICOBench.com)
Summary Box:
- Two mining pools (Foundry USA and AntPool) control a combined 49.5% of Bitcoin’s hashrate.
- Past 51% attacks have targeted smaller blockchains, but Bitcoin remains unscathed.
- Experts see the risk as largely theoretical due to high costs and low financial incentives.
- Centralization concerns persist, but Bitcoin’s economic model continues to provide robust protection.
Source: ICOBench.com, "Neue Gefahr für Bitcoin: Droht die erste 51%-Attacke?"
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