Why Hold Bitcoin?
Common reasons investors allocate to Bitcoin—and the risks to weigh alongside them.
Bitcoin Basics
Can Bitcoin Be Hacked?
Separating network security from exchange risk, phishing, and personal key mistakes.
Overview
The Bitcoin protocol has operated for years without a successful attack on its core rules. What users often call a hack is usually a compromised exchange, stolen credentials, or malware that captures a seed phrase—not a break in the network itself.
Your risk surface is personal: device security, backup storage, and who you trust with custody. Self-custody shifts responsibility to you; custodial platforms shift it to their controls and policies.
Protocol vs. platforms
The Bitcoin network's core rules have not been successfully broken in production. Headlines usually target exchanges, wallets, or social engineering.
Network security does not automatically protect your login password or an unencrypted seed photo.
Where user risk concentrates
Centralized custodians are single points of failure: breaches, insider theft, or insolvency. Self-custody shifts risk to your backup discipline.
Malware, SIM swaps, and phishing remain effective. Multi-factor authentication and hardware signing reduce exposure.
Building a realistic threat model
List what you protect, who might target it, and how. A phone wallet faces different threats than six figures in cold storage.
Match tools to threats: hardware devices, multisig, geographic backups, and periodic recovery drills.
