Inside the race to fix Zcash's shielded pool vulnerability

On today's Markets Outlook, ZODL CEO Josh Swihart joins CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie to break down the Zcash vulnerability discovered with the help of AI, including how it was found, fixed, and what it means for the protocol's future. Plus, he weighs in on privacy coins vs. government pushback, formal verification as the new security standard, and why Zcash is more battle-hardened than ever.

-

Timecodes:

00:00 - Zcash Bug Found by AI After Four Years

03:26 - What Went Through Josh’s Mind When He Found Out

04:47 - Could the Bug Have Been Exploited?

05:47 - How the Bug Helps the Zcash Ecosystem

07:27 - Zcash vs. Other Privacy Protocols

09:54 - Will Governments Push Back on Privacy Coins?

11:45 - Formal Verification and Finding Future Vulnerabilities

14:08 - What Other Protocols Can Learn from This

-

Check out CoinDesk's latest episode of Public Keys from the NYSE: ⁠https://youtu.be/zn3D_adn6nI⁠

-

Register now for CoinDesk’s Policy and Regulation event on September 24, 2026: ⁠⁠https://policy-regulation.coindesk.com/⁠⁠.

-

This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie.