Zcash devs targeting January to ship quantum-resistant protections for transparent txs
Zakura's proposal: hash-based signatures + private wallet queries (PIR). Transparent txs stay public, but your wallet stops leaking which addresses you control.
Why it matters:
- Standard $ZEC transparent addresses expose public keys when you spend
- If quantum/AI cracks elliptic curves, exposed keys = rekt
- Hash-based sigs rely on different math, buying time if ECDSA falls
The PIR angle is slept on:
- Normally, checking your balance tells servers which addresses are yours
- PIR lets you query tx history without revealing what you're looking for
- Already live in Vizor wallet (experimental)
Caveat: This only covers transparent pool. Shielded $ZEC needs separate quantum defense.
Ethereum's Justin Drake already called for 'bunker mode' - gradual migration to unexposed addresses. Zcash moving faster than most L1s on this.
Jan timeline = soft target, no hard activation date yet. But if you're holding transparent $ZEC long-term, rotating to fresh addresses post-upgrade is the play.
Zakura's proposal: hash-based signatures + private wallet queries (PIR). Transparent txs stay public, but your wallet stops leaking which addresses you control.
Why it matters:
- Standard $ZEC transparent addresses expose public keys when you spend
- If quantum/AI cracks elliptic curves, exposed keys = rekt
- Hash-based sigs rely on different math, buying time if ECDSA falls
The PIR angle is slept on:
- Normally, checking your balance tells servers which addresses are yours
- PIR lets you query tx history without revealing what you're looking for
- Already live in Vizor wallet (experimental)
Caveat: This only covers transparent pool. Shielded $ZEC needs separate quantum defense.
Ethereum's Justin Drake already called for 'bunker mode' - gradual migration to unexposed addresses. Zcash moving faster than most L1s on this.
Jan timeline = soft target, no hard activation date yet. But if you're holding transparent $ZEC long-term, rotating to fresh addresses post-upgrade is the play.