Bitcoin Network Stronger Than Expected, But 5 Companies Hold the Keys

Bitcoin's network might be tougher than we thought — but it still has a surprising weak spot.

A new study from Cambridge University tested what it would take to actually break Bitcoin (the digital currency network that runs 24/7). The good news: 72% of the world's underwater internet cables would need to be cut before Bitcoin would have serious problems.

Think of submarine cables as the internet's highways under the ocean. They connect continents and carry most of the world's internet traffic. Bitcoin uses these cables to keep its network of computers talking to each other.

The study found three key things: • Random cable failures (like ship anchors accidentally cutting them) barely affect Bitcoin at all • Even cutting 92% of cables wouldn't completely kill the network • The real danger comes from just 5 major hosting companies (companies that rent out computer servers)

Here's the surprising part: Bitcoin's use of TOR (a privacy tool that hides internet traffic) actually makes the network stronger. This is because TOR servers are mostly in well-connected European countries that are hard to cut off from the internet.

The researchers studied 11 years of data and 68 real cable failures to reach these conclusions. While Bitcoin proved more resilient than expected against physical attacks on cables, targeted attacks on specific hosting providers remain the network's biggest vulnerability.

This matters because it shows that while Bitcoin is decentralized (not controlled by one entity), its physical infrastructure still has weak points that could be exploited.

This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/03/13/bitcoin-can-survive-72-of-the-world-s-submarine-cables-being-cut-but-a-targeted-attack-on-five-hosting-providers-could-cripple-it