1h ago
XRPL Foundation Hints at Native Privacy Upgrade as Zcash Plunges 46% on Long-Undetected Bug
Zcash (ZEC) suffered a steep one-day selloff after a newly disclosed vulnerability in its Orchard shielded pool raised concerns about potential hidden inflation. The episode has also reignited attention on privacy-by-design efforts elsewhere, with XRPL Foundation contributor and dUNL validator Vet pointing to the upcoming XRP Ledger amendment, XLS0096, as a path to "verifiable confidentiality" for the network.
The Zcash issue traces back to a soundness flaw in the Orchard circuit, the zero-knowledge proof system that enables shielded transactions. Security engineer Taylor Hornby, auditing for Shielded Labs, reported finding the bug using AI-assisted formal verification after Anthropic released Claude Opus 4.8. The review flagged an underconstrained elliptic-curve multiplication check inside the halo2_gadgets crate. Zcash said the vulnerability had existed since Orchard went live in May 2022.
Market reaction was swift. On June 5, 2026, ZEC dropped as much as 46% in a single session. The disclosure fueled panic selling as traders questioned the integrity of the supply. Among the sellers, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes reportedly exited his entire ZEC position. At press time, ZEC was quoted at $307.30, down 42.85% over the past 24 hours.
Zcash's core team moved to contain the fallout with an emergency, two-step upgrade. A soft fork on June 2 temporarily disabled Orchard transactions. A hard fork followed on June 3 to deploy new verifying keys and permanently close the vulnerability. The project also said it plans to hire additional cryptographers, develop a replacement shielded pool, and conduct a manual verification of the full coin supply.
Against that backdrop, Vet highlighted XRPL's privacy roadmap, specifically amendment XLS0096, which aims to bring native privacy to the XRP Ledger while preserving auditability. The proposal uses a hybrid of EC-ElGamal homomorphic encryption and zero-knowledge proofs, keeping balances and transaction amounts encrypted to outside observers while allowing validators to mathematically verify total token supply to prevent "invisible" counterfeit issuance.
The design also includes a split-balance model, separating spendable funds from an "Inbox" buffer intended to reduce the risk of wallet disruptions caused by outdated proofs. In addition, it supports selective disclosure via view keys, a feature positioned for institutional and compliance use cases where regulators can access necessary information without fully de-anonymizing activity.
Supporters argue XRPL's approach could appeal to institutions by pairing confidentiality with speed, transparency, and regulatory compatibility, particularly as Multi-Purpose Tokens (MPTs) such as stablecoins and tokenized assets expand on the ledger.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Coin Edition is not responsible for losses arising from the use of any content, products, or services mentioned. Readers should exercise caution before taking any action.