PANews reported on June 6th that Zcash Open Development Lab (ZODL), a core contributor to the Zcash ecosystem, announced a new network upgrade solution and privacy pool, Ironwood, in collaboration with Tachyon, Valar Group, Zcash Foundation, and Shielded Labs. Ironwood will be built on the existing Orchard protocol and further enhanced for security through formal verification and additional independent audits.
ZODL stated that the recently discovered Orchard integrity issue has been fixed through responsible disclosure and a coordinated upgrade. There is currently no evidence that the vulnerability was exploited, nor is there any indication that user funds, privacy, or the total supply of ZEC were affected. It is understood that wallets supporting Orchard will offer a one-click migration function after the upgrade, and users' existing Orchard receiving addresses will continue to be used. The team plans to activate Ironwood at the end of July 2026, after zcashd ceases support (block height 3,417,100), but the specific timing depends on the progress of testing, review, and ecosystem coordination.
According to the plan, all ZEC supply in Orchard will be migrated to Ironwood via a "Turnstile" mechanism. This mechanism allows anyone to independently verify the circulating supply of Zcash, ensuring that the amount of ZEC in circulation does not exceed the amount actually entering the new pool. After the upgrade, Orchard pools will close new deposits and internal transactions, allowing funds to be migrated to Ironwood only through Turnstile.