Researcher who found Zcash's bug with AI adds Monero to his audit queue
The engineer who found Zcash's hidden flaw with AI says Monero is next on his audit list. The Zcash bug led to an emergency fix and a sharp selloff.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Taylor Hornby, who uncovered a critical Zcash vulnerability with Anthropic's Opus 4.8, says he will audit Monero and other privacy coins next. His Zcash finding prompted an emergency fix after the flaw had gone unnoticed since 2022.
A computer helper found a hidden crack in Zcash that could have let someone make fake coins. Now that same helper wants to check Monero too, like a locksmith testing another door after finding one loose lock.
Analysis
What happened
Security engineer Taylor Hornby, working for nonprofit developer Shielded Labs, used Anthropic's Opus 4.8 AI model to uncover a critical bug in Zcash. The flaw sat inside the Orchard privacy pool and, according to the article, had gone unnoticed since May 2022.
Why the bug mattered
The reported issue could have allowed an attacker to mint unlimited counterfeit ZEC without being detected. Shielded Labs disclosed the vulnerability on Thursday and pushed an emergency fix by June 1 after Hornby found it on May 29.
What Hornby plans next
Hornby said on X that he would add Monero to his queue of things to audit. Monero is one of the largest privacy-focused cryptocurrencies and hides transaction details by default, which makes it an obvious target for protocol-level review. The article says Hornby will also look at other privacy-focused cryptocurrencies.
Market reaction and next steps
Zcash fell 38% over the following 24 hours as the news spread and concerns rose that a hacker might have been able to steal from the shielded pool without leaving a detectable trace. Hornby said he reported the flaw instead of exploiting it because he viewed the Zcash developers "like family." He also plans to apply for a Zcash coinholder grant to fund further work.
Key points
- Taylor Hornby says Monero will be next in his security audit queue after his Zcash work.
- He found a Zcash Orchard privacy pool bug with Anthropic's Opus 4.8 AI model.
- The flaw reportedly could have enabled unlimited counterfeit ZEC to be minted undetected.
- Shielded Labs disclosed the issue and pushed an emergency fix by June 1.
- Zcash fell 38% over 24 hours after the disclosure.
If Hornby's audits keep finding bugs before attackers do, privacy coins could become safer and more resilient. His work may also push projects to review old code more aggressively and fund more security research.
The article shows that serious flaws can hide for years in privacy coin code, which raises the risk of future undiscovered bugs. If similar issues exist in other networks, they could trigger more emergency fixes, trust damage, and price shocks.
