Headline: Researcher who used AI to find Zcash bug adds Monero to his audit list
Taylor Hornby — the security engineer who recently used Anthropic’s Opus 4.8 AI model to uncover a critical Zcash vulnerability — said he will add privacy coin Monero to his audit queue.
In a response on X, Hornby answered “Absolutely! I’ll add Monero to my queue of things to audit” after being asked whether he would look for flaws in Monero and other privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. Monero (XMR) is one of the largest privacy coins and, unlike Zcash, hides transaction details by default rather than offering optional shielded addresses.
Quick recap of the Zcash discovery: Hornby found the bug in the blockchain’s Orchard privacy pool on May 29. The flaw — which had reportedly been present since May 2022 — could have allowed an attacker to mint unlimited, undetectable counterfeit ZEC. Shielded Labs, the nonprofit developer on Zcash, disclosed the issue and pushed an emergency fix by June 1. The revelation rattled markets: Zcash plunged roughly 38% in the 24 hours after the disclosure amid fears that undetectable theft could have occurred over several years.
Hornby was hired by Shielded Labs in April to proactively search for protocol bugs. He told reporters he chose to report the vulnerability rather than exploit it because the Zcash team felt “like family” and he “could not live with that kind of betrayal.” He also said he plans to apply for a Zcash coinholder grant to fund continued auditing work.
Why it matters: The episode highlights two trends in crypto security — growing use of advanced AI tools in code review and the ongoing vulnerability of privacy pools to subtle protocol bugs. Hornby’s decision to target Monero next will draw attention: Monero’s default privacy design makes auditing different and potentially more complex than auditing Zcash’s optional shielded pools. Readers should watch for any disclosures or grants that support expanded, AI-assisted protocol audits across privacy-focused projects.
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