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Following
ZEC Zcash plans to introduce anti-quantum signature support in January next year.
According to an engineering announcement issued by Zakura, one of the software teams responsible for building and operating Zcash nodes, Zcash developers plan to add post-quantum signature support to this privacy-conscious network in January next year. The change will introduce hash-based signature opcodes designed to withstand quantum computer attacks, but a specific date for network activation has not yet been confirmed.
Zakura engineer Roman Akhtariev wrote in an engineering announcement: "Our team plans to have post-quantum signed opcodes available on Zcash in January this year." The timetable was set on the heels of a warning from Ethereum researcher Justin Drake. Drake called on holders to prepare for "bunker mode" because in the worst case, AI-assisted advances could theoretically crack current wallet signatures "in months rather than years."
New features planned in January
These opcodes will enable Zcash to verify hash-based signatures based on WOTS (One-Time Signature Scheme). This is a way to prove spending authority without relying on the elliptic curve keys used by most blockchains today. This is crucial because in principle, powerful quantum computers can crack current elliptic curve signatures. Spenders issue signatures that are network verified by hashes (digital fingerprints derived from secret data), so future technological breakthroughs for current keys will not automatically invalidate the replacement plan.
The first version of the functionality mainly covers Zcash's transparent payments, and its operation is similar to Bitcoin. According to ZecStats data compiled by CoinDesk, as of Thursday, October 8, approximately 70% of the tokens-or approximately 11.96 million of the 16.98 million ZECs issued-were in transparent pools. The program's launch is also accompanied by address rotation and a private query tool designed to prevent wallets from exposing multiple addresses belonging to the same user.
Why "bunker mode" warnings have accelerated the timetable
The urgency of the work has increased after Drake issued a viral warning that artificial intelligence may find shortcuts to break through the mathematical mechanisms protecting Bitcoin and Ethereum wallets. The price of ZEC was about US$1,185 that day, down about 11% from a week ago. After the post spread on the X platform, it triggered a wave of declines in major cryptocurrencies.
Protection not yet provided by the plan
January goals currently do not cover shielded payments, a core privacy feature that defines Zcash and hides sender, recipient and amount. Zcash's own quantum recovery design warns that if attackers obtain the recipient's address, they can now save encrypted payment records and attempt to decrypt them after a future mathematical breakthrough, posing a risk of "collecting now, decrypting later." Blocking transactions still requires separate safeguards, and specific solutions have not yet been determined, making the network's most distinctive use cases the last part of the protection.
Follow-up matters worthy of attention
There is currently no network activation date set, and January is only a development goal rather than a confirmed upgrade node. Tools on the transparent side are making rapid progress: Experimental "private query" settings are already provided in the Vizor wallet and are expected to be fully promoted in the near future. Although Zcash's timetable is well ahead of Ethereum's December 2029 anti-quantum target, the shielded pool remains the part of the network most vulnerable to future technological breakthroughs.
