Zcash fell about 5% and traded near $325 after developers disclosed several vulnerabilities, even though they had already patched the issues before the public announcement. The updates covered zcashd v6.12.1 and Zebra v4.3.1. They fixed bugs that could crash nodes, disrupt accounting processes, and create inconsistencies between the two network implementations. Still, the market reacted to the disclosure rather than the completed fixes.
The Zcash team said developers had already deployed the updated software before the disclosure reached the public. The releases addressed several technical issues in both zcashd and Zebra. Mining pools representing most of the network’s hash power have also applied the fixes.
Zcash Open Development Lab said the vulnerabilities included a bug tied to certain Orchard transactions that could crash nodes. It also described a related consensus issue between the two clients. That issue could have created a split between implementations under specific conditions.
The disclosure also covered a turnstile accounting bug and undefined behavior tied to unchecked integer arithmetic in pool balance calculations. Even so, the team reported no evidence of exploitation. No funds were lost, and the disclosure reported no inflation risk or privacy breach.
While the price moved lower, network data in the disclosure pointed in a different direction. Zcash said about 31% of all ZEC now sits in the shielded pool. That figure stood at 11% a year earlier.
At the same time, shielded transactions now account for about 59% of activity on the network. That increase signals stronger use of Zcash’s privacy features. It also shows that privacy-focused activity kept growing despite the market reaction.
Meanwhile, the network’s hash rate reached more than 16 GS/s, a new high. That level usually reflects strong mining participation. The rise came even as traders responded cautiously to the word “vulnerabilities.”
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Before the pullback, ZEC had climbed toward $380 but failed to stay there. After the retreat, the token moved into the $310 to $330 range. That area now stands as an important support zone.
If price holds that band, the broader structure remains intact. In that case, traders may look for another move toward the $430 to $450 region. That area has acted as a resistance more than once.
If the $310 level breaks, attention may shift toward the mid-$200s. What explains the widening gap between stable network metrics and weaker short-term price action? For now, the market appears to be reacting faster than the underlying network changes.
Zcash dropped about 5% after patched vulnerabilities became public, even though no exploit, fund loss, inflation risk, or privacy breach occurred. At the same time, shielded transactions increased, more ZEC moved into the shielded pool, and the hash rate reached a record high. The key takeaway is that price reacted faster than network fundamentals.