Bitcoin Faces 51% Attack Threat as Two Mining Pools Dominate Majority Hashrate

Bitcoin's bedrock security assumption faces its sternest test yet as mining concentration hits critical levels.

Hashrate Hegemony

Two mining pools now control over 51% of Bitcoin's total computational power—crossing the theoretical threshold where transaction validation could be manipulated. The network's decentralized ethos confronts the brutal economics of mining industrialization.

Security Implications

Potential attack vectors include double-spending and transaction censorship. While pool operators claim benevolent intentions, the structural risk remains—miners follow profit, not principles. The situation echoes traditional finance's 'too big to fail' dilemma, just with more silicon and less regulation.

Market Response

Network participants monitor chain activity with heightened vigilance. Some whales diversify into alternative Proof-of-Work assets, while developers debate protocol-level solutions. The community faces its eternal tension between purity and pragmatism.

Bitcoin survives governments and crashes, but can it survive its own success? The answer now literally mines itself.

Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, which has long been seen as the symbol of decentralization, but that image is now being tested. Recent on-chain data shows that just two mining pools now control over 51% of the network’s hashrate.

While this doesn’t mean an attack is happening, it opens the door for one, and that’s enough to raise concerns.

What a 51% Attack Could Mean

At the heart of the issue is what’s known as a “51% attack.” When a group controls over half the network, they can technically reorder transactions, censor payments, or attempt double-spends.

Leon Waidmann, Research Head at Onchain Foundation, recently pointed out that pools like Foundry USA, Antpool, and F2Pool now dominate the space, while smaller miners are losing ground. This imbalance has long worried the Bitcoin community.

1/ Two Bitcoin pools now control more than 51% of the network hashrate!

That crosses a decentralization red line. A 51% attack becomes technically possible

Why this matters and why ethereum these days looks more decentralized and sustainable than BTC.pic.twitter.com/sAERij4Rnz

Meanwhile, they cannot create new bitcoin out of nothing or break digital signatures, but even having this much influence makes the system less secure. In short, the risk is not about what has happened, but about what could happen.

History Repeats Itself?

This isn’t the first time the community has faced such a scare. In 2014, a single mining pool briefly crossed the 50% mark. Back then, miners quickly moved away after community pressure, and the balance was restored. 

Something similar could happen again, but the concern lies in how long it may take for miners to react if the situation repeats.

Can Bitcoin Fix This?

Meanwhile, there are possible solutions. New tools like Stratum v2 could give miners more control by letting them decide which transactions to include. Faster switching between pools and non-custodial pool designs could also help. 

But these solutions are not yet widely used, leaving Bitcoin with a centralization problem that needs urgent attention.

The situation doesn’t mean Bitcoin is broken, but it does act as a warning.

As of now, the Bitcoin price is trading around $113,864, reflecting a slight rise seen in the past 24 hours.