Privacy token Zcash plunges after the disclosure of a 2022 vulnerability in its Orchard shielded pool that could have allowed undetectable ZEC counterfeiting

Zcash took a brutal nosedive overnight, plunging double digits after its developers went public with a critical security vulnerability buried in the protocol since 2022.

The flaw lived in Zcash's Orchard shielded pool — the privacy layer designed to keep transactions untraceable. The bug was severe enough that an attacker could have counterfeited ZEC tokens without anyone detecting it. Let that sink in: invisible money printing on a privacy chain.

Developers disclosed the vulnerability had been present for years before being identified and patched. The delayed disclosure follows standard responsible security practices, but markets clearly didn't appreciate the surprise.

The price reaction was swift and unforgiving. For a token that sells itself on privacy and security, a counterfeiting vulnerability is about as bad as it gets. Trust is hard to earn in crypto — and even harder to rebuild.