Zcash Developers Target January for Post-Quantum Signatures
Zcash developers intend to integrate quantum-resistant signature support into the privacy coin by January. This initiative, highlighted in an engineering post by Zakura (one of the programs responsible for running and validating the network) stems from the work of Zakura engineer Roman Akhtariev, who stated that post-quantum signature opcodes are scheduled for release that month. This commitment is particularly noteworthy as it follows a recent warning that AI could potentially compromise the mathematical foundations of wallet keys within months.
January Target Details
The proposed plan involves adding opcodes, or instructions, that will enable Zcash to verify hash-based signatures. These signatures aim to secure payments against quantum attacks. Initially, this upgrade will apply to transparent payments, which constitute the public aspect of Zcash, similar to Bitcoin with visible addresses and transaction amounts.
When a transparent address is used for spending, its public key is revealed. If an attacker could reverse-engineer this key, they might forge an approval. Hash-based signatures, however, compel an attacker to overcome hashes, which means a compromise of current keys wouldn’t automatically defeat the new system.
- Development Team: Zakura, a key contributor to the Zcash network’s operation and validation.
- Lead Engineer: Roman Akhtariev.
- Implementation: Post-quantum signature opcodes, detailed in an engineering post without a specific ZIP number.
- Signature Method: Hash-based signatures; the exact NIST scheme is not yet specified.
- Scope: Transparent payments, which account for approximately 7 out of 10 of the 16.98 million ZEC issued.
- Timeline: January target date, with no confirmed network activation date.
Zakura has also developed a lookup tool utilizing private information retrieval, allowing wallets to check balances without sending a readable list of addresses to a server. An experimental version is currently available in the Vizor wallet.
The Impact of the “Bunker Mode” Warning
Ethereum researcher Justin Drake previously advised cryptocurrency holders to prepare for a “bunker mode,” cautioning that AI might discover a shortcut to crack the math safeguarding Bitcoin and Ethereum wallets “in months, not years” under a worst-case scenario.
Currently, no quantum computer can break elliptic-curve signatures, and no practical attack on wallet keys has been demonstrated. Drake’s recommendation included moving funds to addresses whose public keys have never been exposed and rotating keys after signing transactions.
Other custodians are already providing exposure tools. BitGo, for instance, has created a Quantum Resistance Score and a sweep workflow for Bitcoin wallets, identifying addresses with exposed public keys. Following Drake’s viral post, ZEC experienced an approximate 11% decline in value over the subsequent week.
The community will be watching to see if Zcash meets the January target and whether the implementation first appears on a testnet or the mainnet. For additional information on post-quantum defenses, continue to follow QNews coverage.