How Does the Threat of Slashing Contribute to the “Cost of Attack” on Ethereum?

The threat of slashing significantly increases the economic cost of attempting a 51% attack. An attacker would need to acquire 51% of the total staked ETH and then execute a coordinated attack.

If successful, their entire stake, worth billions of dollars, would be immediately slashed and burned by the protocol. This guaranteed, massive financial loss makes the attack economically irrational, thus serving as a powerful deterrent.