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

Checking the Checkers and Auditing the Ironwood FV

Cryptographic software is error-prone and failures are catastrophic, therefore formal verification is a powerful and increasingly practical tool for greatly improving the assurances of our cryptographic software. But who verifies the formal verification? Formal verification itself is software too, what is proved, under which assumptions and its relation to the real-world implementation lie beyond the scope of the machine-checked proof. In this post, we want to give some insights into our three-week audit of the Ironwood formalization and some of the common pitfalls that formal verification more broadly can encounter.

Mathias Hall-Andersen · October 05, 2026

Archetype x zkSecurity - Proof is in the Pudding: zkML

In Session 11 of "Proof is in the Pudding," we look at what it takes to prove model inference. We cover transformer computation, sumcheck, GKR, lookup arguments, quantization, and KV caching, then discuss scaling and possible uses for verifiable ML.

ZK/SEC · September 30, 2026

Intro to Clean for Devs.

We think that Clean is the future of circuit development, so we created a programmer-first introduction to show circuit developers who have never used formal verification how they can build circuits faster, safer and better.

Mathias Hall-Andersen · September 29, 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

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

Verifying Cairo proofs on Ethereum

We've been teaming up with StarkWare to create the EVM adapter, and we're thrilled to say that we've recently verified Cairo proofs on the Ethereum mainnet! Building on the work of Andrew Milson and Aditya Bisht, we're making StarkWare’s technology more accessible to everyone. Our blog dives into how Cairo programs are verified on Ethereum and showcases our new library, `stark-evm-adapter`, which helps parse Cairo proofs for Ethereum. Interested in seeing how it works? Check out our demo and learn how to integrate this tech into your system. Plus, stay tuned for future updates as we refine and expand this exciting tool!

Jason Park · August 06, 2024

Archetype x zkSecurity - Proof is in the Pudding: ZK on Bitcoin

In Session 09 of "Proof is in the Pudding," we explore the intersection of zero-knowledge proofs and Bitcoin. We break down Bitcoin's UTXO model and Script limitations, then dive deep into approaches for verifying ZK proofs on Bitcoin, from MPC-based techniques to BitVM's optimistic verification with fraud proofs. We cover timelocks, the statelessness problem and Lamport signatures for state, Taproot, simulated covenants, BitVM 3 with hashlocks and garbled circuits, cut-and-choose security, and witness encryption (BABE).

ZK/SEC · April 02, 2026