Zcash developer Zakura has proposed giving every ZEC swap routed through NEAR Intents a separate viewing key to protect privacy against theoretical quantum computing threats. The design isolates quantum risk to single transactions while leaving primary spending keys and wallet accounts unchanged. Private information retrieval allows restored wallets to locate swap payouts without revealing query targets to database operators. Compatible software wallets like Vizor may integrate the open-source libraries in coming weeks.
Zakura proposes per-swap viewing keys
- ▪Zakura's proposal limits potential quantum exposure to a single swap while keeping a wallet's main spending key unchanged, maintaining funds under a single account.
- ▪Zcash developer Zakura proposed assigning a one-time incoming viewing key to every ZEC swap routed through NEAR Intents to protect transaction privacy against future quantum computing risks.
- ▪Zakura rejected creating separate Zcash accounts for each transaction because Keystone hardware wallets sign only from account index 0 and Ledger devices require separate approvals for each account.
Wallet support and implementation timeline
- ▪Hardware wallets will support Zakura's one-time viewing key design once their respective firmware accommodates the new key derivation process.
- ▪Software wallets using Zakura's open-source libraries, such as Vizor, could integrate the per-swap viewing key feature within weeks.
Private information retrieval applications
- ▪Zakura already uses private information retrieval for Zcash coinholder voting lookups and transparent wallet monitoring.
- ▪Zakura's design uses private information retrieval to enable wallets to look up refund transactions during restoration without exposing queried addresses to database operators.
Quantum risk to exposed viewing keys
- ▪Zakura developer Adam Tucker stated that a single published shielded address exposes payment histories until Project Tachyon's recursive proof upgrade deploys.
- ▪A quantum computer running Shor's algorithm could theoretically recover an incoming viewing key from a publicly exposed Zcash address to link an account's wider payment history.
- ▪NEAR Intents permanently publishes a user's Zcash refund address on NEAR's public blockchain during cross-chain swaps, creating a public record even if no refund occurs.
NEAR Intents volume and usage
- ▪Zcash Open Development Lab CEO Josh Swihart stated in May 2026 that between $600 million and $700 million had flowed through Zcash's NEAR Intents route.
- ▪Aurora Intents processed over $19 million across 1,718 ZEC-denominated swaps for a zkSNARKs auction in September 2026.
Zcash post-quantum roadmap initiatives
- ▪Zcash developers have targeted January 2027 for introducing post-quantum signature opcodes to protect transparent transactions.
- ▪Shielded Labs announced project Epoch on October 1, 2026, aiming to develop post-quantum cryptography for Zcash by the end of 2027.
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