Vitalik Buterin Funds Zcash Crosslink to Boost Blockchain Security

Key Highlights

Vitalik Buterin’s funding moves Zcash’s Crosslink from prototype into a functional, incentivized testnet.
The new protocol introduces a settlement finality mechanism to prevent double-spending and chain rollbacks without abandoning proof-of-work.
Independent funding allows Shielded Labs to develop security features without relying on the Zcash block reward system.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin donated a second round of funding to Shielded Labs, an independent Zcash organization, on Friday. The funding is intended to speed up the development of Crosslink for the Zcash network, transitioning it from the prototype stage to a working, incentivized testnet.

The initiative aims to enhance the security and finality of the transactions taking place in this privacy-oriented blockchain.

By this parallel addition to its existing consensus mechanism, Zcash aims to safeguard its network from chain reorganizations and even double-spends. This is all the more important because of its wide acceptance in the cryptocurrency world.

Hybrid infrastructure model

Crosslink represents a major move in Zcash’s infrastructure. Such a change signifies a move toward a hybrid model that preserves the pre-existing Proof of Work (PoW) infrastructure while developing an alternative finalization device.

In other words, the existing block-creation method and monetary transactions will occur on the pre-existing Proof of Work blockchain; however, an alternative device will be used to link the blocks. Using this device ensures that a transaction is irreversible or cannot be rolled back. This represents a positive change for cryptocurrency exchanges since it will provide shorter confirmation times with consistent data availability.

Supporting independent development

This funding marks Buterin’s second contribution to Shielded Labs, following his 2023 donation that enabled the setup of a team of engineers to work on the project. Shielded Labs operates as an independent support entity within the Zcash ecosystem, funded by private donors and holders rather than relying on the official Zcash Dev Fund or block rewards.

Buterin has long supported Zcash, often joining discussions about its protocol design. In a statement about the donation, Buterin said that Zcash is one of the most honorable crypto projects focused on privacy. He believes that the work on Crosslink will make the network more secure without needing a large security budget.

Productization phase goals

The funding will be used during the productization phase of Crosslink, including:

Design specification development
Security audits
Thorough security analyses

This partnership with Buterin and Shielded Labs emphasizes the willingness to improve the security infrastructure of Zcash while maintaining its fundamental privacy-centric nature. By introducing this finality component, Zcash aspires to bring a much more secure and easily integrable asset to decentralized finance.

Testing and Implementation

As Crosslink prepares to move into its incentivized testnet phase, the team will focus on ensuring all facets are technically sound, as well as gaining the required community backing to execute on these vital changes to the underlying consensus model.

Also Read: We Don’t Need New EVM Chains and Alternative L1 Networks: Vitalik

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