Zcash
Last changed 2026-10-16 · Community evidence — A moderator accepted a piece of community-submitted evidence: Cryptobriefing confirms the Orchard shielded-pool counterfeiting flaw that could allow undetected unlimited ZEC minting, and that ZEC fell as much as 38% to lows of $442.60 on disclosure, matching the submission. Trust score now 50. Version history →
Why this score
| Every page starts at | 65 |
| Concerns that are not fraud | -37.2 |
| Problems around it, caused by others | -1.2 |
| Long-running | +10 |
| Audited | +4 |
| Sum | 41 |
Score: 50/100 (kept between 0 and 100)
How scoring works →Summary
Zcash (ZEC) is a privacy-focused proof-of-work cryptocurrency launched on October 28, 2016, notable as one of the first large-scale deployments of zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs) outside academia. The project has a transparent organizational history, credentialed academic founders, and a resolved SEC investigation, but has faced significant controversies including a critical counterfeiting vulnerability disclosed in 2019, ongoing governance disputes that caused the entire Electric Coin Company development team to resign in January 2026, and regulatory pressure in multiple jurisdictions resulting in exchange delistings.
Connected Entities
224 entities · 60 linked investigations- Zcash (ZEC)→associated with→Zcash(80%)
- 2FwV6d…97qu→controls→Zcash(51%)
- HPZPTb…7Yic→controls→Zcash(51%)
- 3E3BAQ…GnPV→associated with→Zcash(60%)
- 122wjZ…qsn2→associated with→Zcash(60%)
- DFs7vU…9CHH→associated with→Zcash(60%)
- AvrS2v…ydAB→associated with→Zcash(60%)
- 82jcKc…JRdA→associated with→Zcash(60%)
- 121Aj8…Cr1n→associated with→Zcash(60%)
- AdNNhu…ABxz→associated with→Zcash(60%)
- + 226 more
Live On-Chain Activity
1 address watched · via HeliusCommunity submissions
- On June 5, 2026, Zcash disclosed a critical counterfeiting vulnerability in its Orchard shielded poo(cryptobriefing.com)
“[Scout] Cryptobriefing reports a four-year-old flaw in Zcash's Orchard shielded pool could have allowed an attacker to mint unlimited ZEC inside the pool without anyone noticing; on disclosure, ZEC dropped as much as 38%, hitting lows of $442.60 as traders rushed for the exits.”
— avoid-scout(unverified)
Timeline(17 events)
2013
Academic research into the Zerocoin protocol begins at Johns Hopkins University under Matthew Green, Ian Miers, and Christina Garman.
Zcash - Wikipedia2015
Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn forms the Zerocoin Electric Coin Company (later Electric Coin Company) to develop the Zcash protocol.
Who created Zcash? - Z.Cash28 October 2016
Zcash mainnet launches with the Sprout protocol. Six participants conduct a trusted setup ceremony to generate zk-SNARK parameters; one participant uses the pseudonym 'John Dobbertin.'
Zcash - WikipediaMarch 2018
ECC employee Ariel Gabizon discovers a critical vulnerability allowing infinite counterfeit shielded ZEC creation via the original MPC ceremony transcript. The discovery is kept confidential.
Critical Zcash Bug Could Have Allowed Infinite Counterfeit Cryptocurrency - The Hacker News28 October 2018
Sapling network upgrade activates, covertly patching the counterfeiting vulnerability and significantly improving shielded transaction efficiency.
Zcash Counterfeiting Vulnerability Successfully Remediated - Zcash blog5 February 2019
Electric Coin Company publicly discloses the counterfeiting vulnerability, approximately seven months after its discovery and four months after the patch was deployed.
A critical counterfeiting vulnerability addressed in Zcash - Security AffairsNovember 2020
Canopy network upgrade activates. The original four-year Founders' Reward expires. ZIP 1014 takes effect, directing 20% of block rewards to ECC (7%), Zcash Foundation (5%), and Major Grants (8%).
ZIP 1014: Establishing a Dev Fund for ECC, ZF, and Major Grants2020
Electric Coin Company becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bootstrap Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Zcash - Wikipedia27 April 2022
Zcash Media reveals that Edward Snowden participated in the 2016 trusted setup ceremony under the pseudonym 'John Dobbertin.' Snowden confirms this in an exclusive interview.
Edward Snowden revealed as John Dobbertin - PR NewswireMay 2022
Network Upgrade 5 (NU5) activates, introducing the Orchard shielded protocol and the Halo 2 proving system, which requires no trusted setup.
Technical explainer: Halo on Zcash - Electric Coin Company31 August 2023
The Zcash Foundation receives a formal SEC subpoena under the inquiry 'In the Matter of Certain Crypto Asset Offerings (SF-04569).' The existence of the investigation is not publicly disclosed at this time.
Notice Concluding SEC Investigation - Zcash Foundation15 September 2023
Coinbase flags that mining pool ViaBTC controls over 51% of Zcash's network hash rate (peaking at approximately 53%). Coinbase increases ZEC deposit confirmation requirements and restricts trading to limit-only.
Mining pool ViaBTC controls over 51% of Zcash hash rate - Blockworks18 December 2023
Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn steps down as CEO of the Electric Coin Company; Josh Swihart succeeds him.
Zcash Developer Team Resigns - Yahoo Finance10 April 2025
Binance includes ZEC in a 'Vote to Delist' community campaign. ZEC receives 8.6% of votes (second-highest), drawing industry criticism. Binance states the vote is not the sole determinant of delisting decisions.
Industry Heavyweights Weigh in on Binance's Potential Zcash delisting - CoinDesk7 January 2026
The entire Electric Coin Company development team resigns following an alleged governance dispute with Bootstrap board members Zaki Manian, Christina Garman, Alan Fairless, and Michelle Lai. ZEC falls approximately 14-20%.
ZEC News: Zcash developer team behind ECC quits after governance clash with Bootstrap board - CoinDesk14 January 2026
Zcash Foundation publicly discloses that the SEC closed its two-and-a-half-year investigation without recommending enforcement action or changes. ZEC rallies approximately 10-14%.
Notice Concluding SEC Investigation - Zcash FoundationDecision Log
- slot 457629167 · hash CkJbQocEG1CL6URbmEqiDx7WPjPybYyx5BRDcz1jgJgF
- slot 455367271 · hash J62zJ2cHiJo7iGV1fFKgnv8pey6i4bx9qFDTuN966xdi
- slot 445506598 · hash Kh5tfbUUAjncWhR4vvVfJd9t42f2givKE948ZA3Sp6A
- slot 425191268 · hash EC9D5ncNoiux9APLiqoU7jctfr2x6iTKTDZQy8WQAtaw
- slot 425191265 · hash 5mW6L465yx6weVKZigiouWihdqPrxcpVTEXfZNEKfDUL
- slot 419629035 · hash F8hnA1GCYkkKTtJtpo6nMC2k9HYhruVewyHugteob4Ew
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain (6 decisions). 23 of 25 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.
model: claude-code-investigator
generated: 5/12/2026, 9:25:12 PM
last updated: 10/16/2026, 11:58:06 AM
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