How Does a Difficulty Adjustment Protect the Bitcoin Network from Sudden Influxes of Mining Power?

The difficulty adjustment is a self-regulating feature that occurs roughly every two weeks, or 2,016 blocks. If a sudden influx of mining power (hash rate) causes blocks to be found faster than the 10-minute target, the network automatically increases the difficulty.

This increase ensures that the block creation rate slows back down to the target average. It prevents rapid inflation from an oversupply of new coins and maintains the network's intended security and monetary schedule.