Zakura, a Zcash full-node developer, is targeting a hash-based post-quantum signature opcode (WOTS) to land on the network in January 2026 or 2027. The plan is designed to protect the blockchain against emerging threats from quantum computers and artificial intelligence.
Zakura’s strategy relies on a two-layer approach. The first layer rotates to a new address after each completed transaction so public keys are never exposed on the onchain ledger. Users won’t have to wait for next year’s opcode to try this first layer, as the feature begins rolling out this week.
Masking Server Footprints Through Private Queries
Routine address rotation typically creates privacy issues at the network layer. Balance-checking servers can identify that multiple addresses belong to the same user when a wallet queries balance data simultaneously. Zakura breaks that link using Private Information Retrieval (PIR) techniques, allowing wallets to fetch balance data without revealing to the server which addresses are being queried.
The PIR-based private query feature begins rolling out this week in the Vizor wallet, where users can enable it via the settings menu. The launch also takes aim at Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake, who urged crypto holders to migrate to fresh addresses. Zakura argued that Drake’s advice overlooks address-tracking issues, whereas its team has already resolved that obstacle directly within the wallet.
Encryption threats came to the fore after Drake warned that AI could crack Bitcoin and Ethereum’s ECDSA signatures in a matter of months under a worst-case scenario. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin similarly deemed the AI threat to encryption plausible within the next two years.
Fallback Hash Signatures Targeted for January
For the second layer, Zakura is preparing Winternitz One-Time Signature (WOTS) fallback signatures. This hash-based system bypasses elliptic-curve mathematics, which are vulnerable to quantum or AI attacks. These fallback signatures serve as a contingency if conventional elliptic-curve encryption becomes compromised.
Why Target Only Transparent Addresses?
Zakura’s plan exclusively targets Zcash’s transparent addresses (taddrs), not the shielded pool. Transactions in Zcash’s shielded pool conceal data by default, whereas transparent addresses still leave public traces like conventional transactions.
This technical move unfolds as Zcash attracts institutional interest, ranging from a US spot ETF proposal backed by the Winklevoss twins to the launch of its debut ETP product in Europe. An earlier network upgrade also made private payments three times faster. For coin holders using transparent addresses, enabling private queries in the wallet provides immediate protection without having to wait for the January opcode.
Reported via Decrypt.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only, not financial advice. Cryptocurrency assets are highly volatile and carry significant risk. Always do your own research (DYOR) and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
