Zcash developers report no critical bugs in security testing as the Ironwood upgrade progresses toward testnet activation.
Tech & Launches ·
Zcash developers said security testing has uncovered no new critical bugs as the Ironwood upgrade moves toward testnet activation, according to forum posts shared Thursday. The upgrade introduces a new shielded pool and accounting system intended to allow users to verify the network's total circulating supply while maintaining transaction privacy—a capability designed to address uncertainty left by the Orchard vulnerability discovered in May, which exposed a four-year-old flaw that could have permitted unlimited counterfeit ZEC creation without detection.
Development is proceeding on two parallel tracks: the Ironwood network upgrade itself and migration of the Zcash ecosystem from legacy Zaschd software to the new Z3 stack, which includes a full node, indexing service, and wallet. Testnet activation of the new consensus rules is expected shortly, with developers noting that sufficient hash rate is signaling technical readiness for mainnet deployment.
The primary remaining challenge involves preparing wallets, exchanges, and mining pools for transition to the new software. Developers indicated testnet will provide adequate time for ecosystem participants to prepare, though some wallet operators may not be ready by mainnet activation—a gap deemed insufficient justification for delaying the upgrade given available alternatives.