AI Researcher Expands Audit Focus to Monero After Zcash Bug Discovery
Researcher who found Zcash's bug with AI adds Monero to his audit queue

Image: Coindesk
Security engineer Taylor Hornby, who identified a critical bug in Zcash using AI, plans to audit Monero and other privacy coins next. The Zcash flaw, undetected since May 2022, allowed for potential unlimited counterfeit minting, leading to a 38% drop in its value.
- 01Taylor Hornby discovered a significant bug in Zcash's Orchard privacy pool using AI, which could have allowed unlimited counterfeit ZEC to be created undetected.
- 02The vulnerability remained hidden since May 2022 and prompted an emergency fix by Zcash developers after its discovery on May 29.
- 03Hornby plans to audit Monero, a leading privacy coin, and other cryptocurrencies, having been hired by Shielded Labs to identify such vulnerabilities.
- 04The Zcash incident raised concerns about potential hidden flaws in both cryptocurrency and traditional financial systems, as AI tools become more prevalent in security assessments.
- 05Hornby intends to apply for a Zcash coinholder grant to support his ongoing work in identifying protocol bugs.
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Taylor Hornby, a security engineer who recently uncovered a critical bug in Zcash using Anthropic’s Opus 4.8 AI model, is expanding his audit efforts to include Monero and other privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. The flaw in Zcash, which had been present in the Orchard privacy pool since May 2022, could have permitted the minting of unlimited counterfeit ZEC tokens without detection. Following its discovery on May 29, an emergency fix was implemented by June 1, but not before Zcash's value plummeted by 38%. Hornby, hired by nonprofit developer Shielded Labs to proactively find protocol vulnerabilities, disclosed the bug rather than exploit it, citing a strong bond with the Zcash developers. He plans to seek funding through a Zcash coinholder grant for further audits. This incident has sparked fears that powerful AI systems may reveal similar hidden vulnerabilities across both cryptocurrency networks and traditional banking systems, highlighting the need for enhanced security measures in these spaces.
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