Inside the Race to Fix Zcash's Shielded Pool Vulnerability | Markets Outlook
From CoinDesk Podcast Network by CoinDesk
June 11, 2026 · 17 min
About this episode
Josh Swihart discusses the Zcash vulnerability discovered by AI and its implications for the protocol's future.
The bug that tanked ZEC with Josh Swihart. 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.
People in this episode
Host: Jennifer Sanasie
Guest: Josh Swihart
Topics covered
- Zcash vulnerability
- privacy coins
- government pushback
- formal verification
- security standards
- ZEC market impact
Keywords
- Zcash
- vulnerability
- privacy coins
- government regulation
- formal verification
- security
- ZEC
- AI
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: ZODL, Zcash, CoinDesk, AI
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