# The Zcash Orchard bug, explained — what a zero-knowledge soundness flaw means for privacy coins

> In late May 2026 an auditor — with help from an AI — found a four-year-old soundness bug in Zcash's Orchard circuit that could mint undetectable shielded ZEC. No funds were stolen and total supply held. Here is exactly what happened, why the turnstile contained it, and the honest lesson for every privacy coin, Monero included.

Markdown twin of https://xmr.club/guides/zcash-orchard-bug-explained. CC-BY-4.0. Attribute "xmr.club".

## At a glance

- Canonical: https://xmr.club/guides/zcash-orchard-bug-explained
- Slug: zcash-orchard-bug-explained
- Title: The Zcash Orchard bug, explained — what a zero-knowledge soundness flaw means for privacy coins
- Description: In late May 2026 an auditor — with help from an AI — found a four-year-old soundness bug in Zcash's Orchard circuit that could mint undetectable shielded ZEC. No funds were stolen and total supply held. Here is exactly what happened, why the turnstile contained it, and the honest lesson for every privacy coin, Monero included.

## How to cite

Source: xmr.club, "The Zcash Orchard bug, explained — what a zero-knowledge soundness flaw means for privacy coins". https://xmr.club/guides/zcash-orchard-bug-explained (CC-BY-4.0).

## Related

- https://xmr.club/guides — full guides index (40 guides)
- https://xmr.club/methodology — how the directory grades providers referenced in this guide
- https://xmr.club/transparency — funding model + editorial firewall
- https://xmr.club/data.json — full provider dataset (CC-BY-4.0)

## License

CC-BY-4.0. Attribute "xmr.club".