ZODL Proposes New Privacy Pool Ironwood, Targeting Activation by End of July 2026 to Enhance Zcash Security

Odaily Odaily Planet Daily News ZODL, a core contributor to the Zcash ecosystem, announced that it is collaborating with Tachyon, Valar Group, Zcash Foundation, and Shielded Labs to propose a new network upgrade and privacy pool, Ironwood. Ironwood will be built upon the existing Orchard protocol and will further enhance security through formal verification and additional independent audits.

According to the proposal, the entire ZEC supply within Orchard will be migrated to Ironwood via a "Turnstile" mechanism. This mechanism allows anyone to independently verify the circulating supply of Zcash, ensuring that the amount of ZEC in circulation does not exceed the amount that has actually entered the new pool. After the upgrade, the Orchard pool will close to new deposits and internal transactions, only permitting fund migration to Ironwood through the Turnstile.

ZODL stated that recently identified Orchard soundness issues have been resolved through responsible disclosure and a coordinated upgrade. There is currently no evidence that the vulnerability was exploited, nor any indication that user funds, privacy, or the total ZEC supply were affected. It is reported that wallets supporting Orchard will offer a one-click migration function after the upgrade, and users' existing Orchard receiving addresses will continue to be usable. The team plans to activate Ironwood at the end of July 2026, after zcashd support is discontinued (at block height 3,417,100), though the specific timeline depends on testing, audits, and ecosystem coordination progress.