announcement · zk

Listen to us on the latest episode of zeroknowledge.fm

ZK/SEC August 30, 2023 1 min

zkpodcast

Our cofounder David Wong was this week's guest on the zk podcast. Listen to him talk about crypto and zksecurity here.

This week, Anna and Guillermo chat with David Wong, author of the Real-World Cryptography book, and a cofounder zksecurity.xyz – an auditing firm focused on Zero Knowledge technology.

They chat about what first got him interested in cryptography, his early work as a security consultant, his work on the Facebook crypto project and the Mina project, zksecurity.xyz, auditing techniques and their efficacy in a ZK context, what common bugs are found in ZK code, and much more.

Keep reading

Latest

Optimizing Cryptography with AI

Many of us are using AI to generate code. Vibe coding cryptography is especially sensitive - you have to uphold strict mathematical correctness. This can lead to wrong security guarantees and soundness bugs. We will discuss what are some patterns to do it well.

Kobi Gurkan · August 11, 2026

Introducing zkvmBlast: Differential Fuzzing for Ethereum's zkVMs

zkVMs are moving to the center of Ethereum's roadmap, which means a bug in a zkVM is turning into a bug in Ethereum itself. We built zkvmBlast, a zkVM-agnostic differential fuzzer that runs the same program across SP1, RISC0, OpenVM, Pico, Zisk, and Airbender against a reference simulator and flags any disagreement. It hunts for both soundness and completeness bugs, with a deliberate focus on completeness, an under-explored class that can turn a single valid block into a liveness failure. We share the first batch of findings.

Stefanos Chaliasos, Martín Ochoa, Varun Thakore · August 10, 2026

Circom-Auditor: Open-Source Skills for Finding Vulnerabilities in Circom Code

We are releasing zk-skills, a set of open-source security skills for AI coding agents, starting with circom-auditor: a first line of defense against vulnerabilities in Circom circuits, compatible with both Claude Code and Codex. On the zkbugs benchmark it detects up to 66 of 70 known bugs when pointed at the vulnerable circuits, and up to 40 of 56 when let loose on the full original codebases, far ahead of existing Circom security tools.

Stefanos Chaliasos, Hao Pham, False Witness Team · August 05, 2026

Recommended

The State of Security Tools for ZKPs

Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) have come a long way from theory to real-world applications like blockchains and private transactions. We’ve been busy auditing various ZKP implementations and developing tools to improve circuit safety and security. In this blog post, we’ll explore how vulnerabilities can crop up in SNARK systems and the current state of tools designed to spot these issues. From circuit bugs to the often-overlooked frontend and backend layers, we cover how various analysis techniques and formal verification approaches are evolving to ensure robust ZKP systems. Dive in to discover the potential and current challenges in ZKP security!

ZK/SEC · June 02, 2024

ZK programmability adds a whole new layer to worry about

Zero-knowledge (ZK) programs are revolutionizing how developers can build secure systems by proving execution without exposing data, making them incredibly useful for privacy and security. However, they come with their own set of challenges. In this blog, we delve into these security implications and offer practical strategies to help developers navigate the risks. From understanding private inputs to the intricacies of proof systems and trusted setups, we unpack the complexities and provide insights on how to address potential pitfalls, ensuring you're well-prepared to harness the power of ZK programs effectively.

David Wong · May 31, 2023

On ZK Security, ZK Summit, and a Decade of Progress

On May 7th, we'll be in Rome sponsoring zkSummit14. A look back at a decade of progress in zero-knowledge, the current state of ZK security based on 100+ audits, and why events like zkSummit have become infrastructure for the field.

ZK/SEC · May 06, 2026

More to explore

The zero-knowledge attack of the year might just have happened, or how Nova got broken

Last week, a surprising paper revealed a major vulnerability in Microsoft's Nova, a leading zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) system, that showcased a false computation with a valid proof. This discovery is especially intriguing given the complexity and robustness typically associated with ZKP systems. We had just launched our company to tackle bugs in ZKP frameworks, and while we anticipated issues, complete breakdowns of systems themselves are rare. Nova's issue revolved around cycles of elliptic curves, showing how small implementation oversights in complex cryptographic systems can lead to significant errors. This post dives into the intricate mechanics of Nova and the discovery process, offering a fascinating glimpse into why rigorous specifications are crucial in cryptography.

David Wong · July 02, 2023

Archetype x zkSecurity (Whiteboard Session) - Proof is in the Pudding: Arithmetization

Join us for a deep dive into the fascinating world of arithmetization as David from our team breaks down the process of converting logical statements into algebraic forms to create arithmetic circuits, essential for constructing ZK proofs. This unedited recording from our "Proof is in the Pudding" series offers a unique opportunity to grasp these foundational concepts, perfect for anyone keen on unlocking the mechanics behind zero-knowledge proofs. Curious? Check out the session on Archetype's channel!

ZK/SEC · October 03, 2024

Public report of auditing Penumbra's circuits

We conducted an audit of Penumbra's main circuits and found eight issues, including the critical "double spend" and "double vote" bugs, which the Penumbra team promptly fixed. Our findings highlight Penumbra's robust documentation and code testing. Readers will get insights into how Penumbra uses zero-knowledge proofs for privacy, its decentralized exchange features, and its governance model. The post also provides detailed pseudocode for various cryptographic protocols, emphasizing how Penumbra ensures secure and private transactions. It's a deep dive into the technical details for those intrigued by privacy-focused blockchain technologies.

ZK/SEC · August 24, 2023