ZK/SEC Research notes from zkSecurity
All posts
Proof is in the Pudding · Part 8 of 10

Archetype x zkSecurity - Proof is in the Pudding: Privacy in Payment Networks

ZK/SEC January 16, 2026 1 min educative · zk · privacy

For the 8th session of Proof is in the Pudding, we teamed up with Archetype to explore the fascinating world of privacy in payment networks.

There's no single best approach to privacy, but there's no shortage of interesting techniques that have been developed over the years to break linkability, hide addresses, and obscure transaction data. In this session, we take a comprehensive tour through the evolution of private payment systems, covering E-Cash, blind signatures, Bitcoin privacy, confidential transactions and Pedersen commitments, Mimblewimble, Monero, stealth addresses, ring signatures, MobileCoin and TEEs, Zcash, and Zether.

If you enjoy this video, check out our previous episodes:

Keep reading
Latest

Variants of KZG: Part V, Multilinear Commitments with Mercury

In this final post of the series, we extend univariate KZG commitments to multilinear polynomials through Mercury. Building on Gemini, we fold half of the variables at once, use polynomial division to bind this large fold to the original commitment and reduce the remaining multilinear evaluations to a batched inner product check. We then walk through the end-to-end opening protocol. We conclude by examining its proof size, prover cost and verifier cost.

Varun Thakore · August 17, 2026

Variants of KZG: Part IV, Multilinear Commitments with Gemini

In this blog post, we extend univariate KZG commitments to multilinear polynomials through Gemini. We introduce recursive partial evaluations, derive the split-and-fold identity and express each fold as a univariate identity that can be checked using KZG openings. We then walk through the end-to-end opening protocol. We conclude by examining its proof size, prover cost, and verifier cost.

Varun Thakore · August 12, 2026

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
Recommended

Archetype x zkSecurity - Proof is in the Pudding: The Other Dark Forest (Offchain Public Keys)

In Session 07 of "Proof is in the Pudding," we explore the other dark forest, the realm of offchain public keys. We dive into zkLogin, ZK Email, and ZKPassport, examining how these protocols handle authentication and privacy. We also discuss the issue of unlinkability in privacy protocols and why replacing traditional signature verifications with zero-knowledge proofs could unlock more interesting and powerful ZK products.

ZK/SEC · October 21, 2025

Archetype x zkSecurity - Proof in the Pudding: Introduction to Data Availability (Sampling)

In the latest "Proof is in the Pudding" session, we team up with Archetype to break down the essentials of Data Availability Sampling. We dive into how rollups and Ethereum's DA system work, explore the role of DA chains, and touch on the basics of verifiable sharding. This introduction is perfect for anyone curious about the foundations of data availability sampling and how these concepts are playing out in the blockchain world.

ZK/SEC · October 02, 2025

Archetype x zkSecurity (Whiteboard Session) - Proof is in the Pudding: How to prove false statements

In our third whiteboard session with Archetype, we dive into the fascinating world of cryptographic protocols by breaking down the intricacies of the Fiat-Shamir security model and the GKR protocol. Whether you're a cryptography enthusiast or just curious about how these complex mechanisms enhance security, this is a chance to explore the theories with us in a friendly and digestible way. Don't miss the opportunity to expand your understanding of this cutting-edge topic!

ZK/SEC · February 25, 2025
More to explore

Do in secret. Assert in public. Don't under-constrain your prover's witness computation in ZK programs

Curious about diving into zero-knowledge (ZK) application development? Our blog post is here to guide you through the common security pitfalls and mindset shifts essential for tackling ZK programming. We reflect on our journey from the early days of Mina Protocol to the dynamic space today, filled with tools like SnarkyJS and newer approaches to split the prover and verifier roles effectively. Discover the errors to avoid, like under-constraining data and letting divisors slip through unchecked, and learn how a solid review and audit process can save your ZK applications from disastrous security issues. Dive in to get the insights you need to navigate the ZK landscape confidently!

Brandon Kase · June 01, 2023

Lean4 formalization of "A Simplified Round-by-round Soundness Proof of FRI"

A Lean4 formalization of the paper "A Simplified Round-by-round Soundness Proof of FRI" by Albert Garreta, Nicolas Mohnblatt, and Benedikt Wagner, completed using Harmonic's Aristotle agent and Claude Code. Welcome to the strange world of machine-led formalization of cryptography.

Yoichi Hirai · January 26, 2026

AI meets Cryptography 1: What AI Found in Cloudflare's CIRCL

We pointed our AI audit pipeline at Cloudflare's CIRCL experimental cryptography library and confirmed seven real bugs, from a critical float64 precision loss in threshold RSA to a complete access-control break in attribute-based encryption. All seven are now fixed upstream. This is the first post in a series on bugs our agents found across open source cryptography.

Stefanos Chaliasos, Hao Pham, False Witness team · July 07, 2026