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Zcash Developers Target January for Quantum-Resistant Signature Support

Oct 11, 2026 20:34 Written by Newisty Editorial Team zcash quantum resistance hash-based signatures zakura post-quantum cryptography

Zcash dev team sets January target for quantum-resistant signatures
Zcash developers have outlined a plan to add quantum-resistant signature support to their network by January. The update would introduce hash-based signatures, a method for approving payments designed to withstand attacks from quantum computers. No confirmed network activation date has been set.
The plan follows a widely shared warning from Ethereum researcher Justin Drake on October 8, who urged cryptocurrency holders to prepare for what he called \u201cbunker mode,\u201d raising the concern that artificial intelligence could find shortcuts through the mathematics protecting wallet keys. No practical attack on existing wallet keys has been demonstrated so far.

Key numbers

January is the target month for the software update, though no confirmed network activation date has been announced.
About 11.96 million of the 16.98 million ZEC coins in circulation sit in the transparent pool, roughly 70 percent, according to CoinDesk's calculation from ZecStats data.
The upgrade covers transparent transactions only. Shielded payments, which hide sender, recipient, and amount, need separate protections.
ZEC was trading around $1,185 on October 8, down about 11 percent over the prior week after Drake's post gained attention.

What the Zakura engineering post says

Roman Akhtariev, writing in an engineering post for Zakura, stated that the team plans for post-quantum signature opcodes to land in Zcash in January. Opcodes are instructions that networks use to validate transactions. Zakura is one of the programs used to run the Zcash network and validate its transactions.

Under the proposed system, the network would check signatures using hashes, which are digital fingerprints derived from secret data. Hash-based signatures use a different method to prove someone has permission to send funds. To forge an approval, an attacker would need to defeat those hashes, meaning a breakthrough against today's wallet keys would not automatically defeat the new system.

The approach also relies on using fresh addresses before spending, which keeps keys hidden. The new signatures are intended to protect the payment at the moment spending makes the approval public.

The same Zakura team developed a private lookup tool that lets wallets check balances without revealing which addresses belong together to a server. An experimental version is available in the Vizor wallet.

The warning that prompted action

Ethereum researcher Justin Drake warned on October 8 that AI could find a shortcut through the cryptography protecting bitcoin and ether wallet keys \u201cin months, not years\u201d in the worst case. He urged holders to prepare for \u201cbunker mode.\u201d His post went viral on X, and no practical attack on current wallet keys has been demonstrated.

Ethereum has its own separate migration plan targeting December 2029 for quantum-resistant cryptography, making Zcash's January timeline notably more aggressive.

What remains uncertain

No confirmed network activation date has been announced for the January target.
Shielded Zcash payments are not addressed by this upgrade and require their own safeguards.
Drake's warning about AI-accelerated attacks remains a concern, not a confirmed threat. No practical attack on current wallet keys has been shown.

Why this matters

Quantum-resistant signatures would protect the larger share of Zcash's supply. With roughly seven in ten ZEC coins held in the transparent pool, the January plan addresses the part of the network where addresses and payment amounts are visible on the blockchain, which is a decentralized public record. Hash-based signatures would give that section a layer of protection independent of today's cryptographic methods.

The development reflects a broader shift across major cryptocurrency projects. Both Zcash and Ethereum are moving toward quantum-resistant systems, though their timelines and approaches differ significantly.

Sources

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Newisty Editorial Team

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Newisty Editorial Team covers technology, cryptocurrency, digital products, online platforms, developer tools and the wider digital economy. Our content is researched from official sources, company announcements, public documentation, market data and other primary or reputable sources. Articles are reviewed and edited before publication for clarity, accuracy and useful context.