Zcash founder says Orchard bug enabled unlimited counterfeit ZEC minting since May 2022

The flaw was patched on June 1, and the post says Claude Opus 4.8 was used in the fix for the privacy-focused cryptocurrency.

Summary

A bug in Zcash’s Orchard shielded pool could have allowed unlimited counterfeit ZEC to be minted, Zcash’s founder said, framing it as a flaw that had been active since May 2022. The issue was patched on June 1, according to the post, which also said Claude Opus 4.8 was used in the remediation. The disclosure points to a potentially serious integrity risk for Zcash, because counterfeit minting can undermine confidence in a token’s supply if exploited.

Terms & Concepts
  • Orchard: Zcash’s newer shielded pool design.
  • counterfeit minting: Creating unauthorized new tokens illicitly.
  • shielded pool: Privacy-preserving pool for hidden transfers.