# Transaction Confirmation

<figure><img src="/files/NdozYsawwSiYepqezNPx" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

*We now consider how long the recipient of a new transaction needs to wait before being sufficiently certain the sender can't change the transaction. We assume the sender is an attacker who wants to make the recipient believe he paid him for a while, then switch it to pay back to himself after some time has passed. The receiver will be alerted when that happens, but the sender hopes it will be too late.*

\- Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin Whitepaper

This scenario **assumes that the sender is an attacker** who intends to deceive the recipient into believing they have been paid, only to later revert the transaction back to themselves.

Upon broadcasting a transaction, it is **typically propagated across the network within seconds**, reaching nearly all nodes. However, for the attacker to successfully execute their plan, **they must mine enough blocks to override the network's original consensus**. This requires recruiting a significant portion of the network's hash power to work against the original chain.

The challenge for the attacker lies in the **visibility of their actions**; the consensus network can detect the introduction of blocks containing double spends, which could lead to **legal repercussions for the node operators involved**, especially if the double spend is deemed fraudulent.


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