How Do Proof-of-Stake (PoS) Consensus Mechanisms Mitigate the Risks Associated with Hashrate Rental Markets?

PoS networks use staked cryptocurrency instead of computational hash power to secure the network and validate transactions. An attacker would need to acquire and stake a majority of the network's native currency (typically 51%) to launch an attack.

This is fundamentally different from PoW, which relies on external hardware. The high cost of acquiring and staking the necessary coins, coupled with the risk of 'slashing' (losing staked coins) for malicious behavior, makes PoS attacks significantly more expensive and less feasible than renting hash power.