4 ms·

This paper also inspired the recent academic paper "Attacking Zcash Protocol For Fun And Profit" available at https://attackingzcash.com https://attackingzcash.

This paper also inspired the recent academic paper "Attacking Zcash Protocol For Fun And Profit" available at https://attackingzcash.com https://attackingzcash.com and on IACR: https://eprint.iacr.org/2020/627 https://eprint.iacr.org/2020/627 It describes new kinds of metadata leakage attacks that can be launched against privacy coins, by adversaries with large budgets, such as professional criminal organizations, blockchain analysis companies and nation states. The privacy coin HUSH has developed this defensive technology and was first to implement it in September 2019. There is a YouTube video where the author explains why he named the paper this way, this link has the timestamp where it's talked about: https://youtu.be/berM7Dnnoz4?t=405 https://youtu.be/berM7Dnnoz4?t=405 "This is a whole new research field I am creating, that is why I called it Attacking Zcash Protocol For Fun And Profit, just like Smashing The Stack for Fun And Profit, it created a whole new field" Also, for the hardcore HN nerds: The paper focuses on Zcash Protocol, but the ideas apply to any cryptocoin with a transaction graph, so Monero is definitely vulnerable. Much more vulnerable that Zcash Protocol.

JoJoBinks 6y ago
Interesting. So hush is the only privacy coin in your opinion?
- hushhush 6y ago
  No, there are many privacy coins, but most are indeed just copies of Monero or Zcash. The author of that paper has discovered multiple CVE's in Zcash (https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2019-16930/ https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2019-16930/ and https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2019-11636/ https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2019-11636/ ). There are very few unique source codebases which implement privacy coins, maybe a half dozen depending on how lenient you are (i.e. is DASH a privacy coin? Barely, but it could be considered one. Blockchain analysis companies make fun of the "privacy" of DASH.) I believe when he says "inventing a whole new field" he means inventing a whole new field of attacks and defenses, just like the Phrack paper invented a whole new industry of attacks and then their defenses. Taking these new kinds of attacks into account, all existing privacy coins are vulnerable. Monero is more vulnerable than Zcash Protocol, since it does not have Zero Knowledge Math. It uses Group Theory, which leaks metadata like crazy.
  - JoJoBinks 6y ago
    So why would one pick Hush over other coins like Zcash? Because of less metadata leakage? What I am trying to get at is, what value does Hush have in the real world? It's a privacy coin cool, but how can it be adopted/used by institutions etc. And if the tech is so great why is no one using it right now?

JoJoBinks 6y ago

Interesting. So hush is the only privacy coin in your opinion?

hushhush 6y ago
No, there are many privacy coins, but most are indeed just copies of Monero or Zcash. The author of that paper has discovered multiple CVE's in Zcash (https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2019-16930/ https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2019-16930/ and https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2019-11636/ https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2019-11636/ ). There are very few unique source codebases which implement privacy coins, maybe a half dozen depending on how lenient you are (i.e. is DASH a privacy coin? Barely, but it could be considered one. Blockchain analysis companies make fun of the "privacy" of DASH.) I believe when he says "inventing a whole new field" he means inventing a whole new field of attacks and defenses, just like the Phrack paper invented a whole new industry of attacks and then their defenses. Taking these new kinds of attacks into account, all existing privacy coins are vulnerable. Monero is more vulnerable than Zcash Protocol, since it does not have Zero Knowledge Math. It uses Group Theory, which leaks metadata like crazy.
- JoJoBinks 6y ago
  So why would one pick Hush over other coins like Zcash? Because of less metadata leakage? What I am trying to get at is, what value does Hush have in the real world? It's a privacy coin cool, but how can it be adopted/used by institutions etc. And if the tech is so great why is no one using it right now?