Zcash (ZEC) has found itself in yet another dire predicament. The project’s founder recently confirmed that there was a critical Orchard bug capable of minting unlimited counterfeit ZEC. The bug was active from May 2022 and was only patched on June 1, 2026. The bug remained in the system for four whole years. Zcash (ZEC) is facing a steep price crash after the revelation. CoinGecko shows that ZEC’s price has fallen by more than 36% in the last 24 hours. Despite the dip, the asset has maintained a near 660% rally since June 2025.
Will Zcash Spiral Out Amid Price Crash?
The Orchard bug being active for four years was a severe breach of security. It was only after the Claude Opus 4.8 update was the bug identified. Not only that, the fact that the bug could mint unlimited Zcash (ZEC) tokens has caused quite a stir within the community.
This is not the first crisis Zcash (ZEC) has faced in 2026. Earlier this year in January, the entire development team at the Electric Coin Company (ECC) resigned en masse. ECC was the core development team for Zcash (ZEC). The team quit due to internal differences. ECC CEO Josh Swihart said that the platform made it impossible to work with integrity. ZEC faced a steep price crash after ECC quit the project but made a quick rebound.
Also Read: This Crypto Surged 1000% In 1 Month, Amid Market Crash: Safe?
Zcash (ZEC) is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency that saw incredible gains over the last few months, despite the exit of ECC earlier this year. The rise was most likely due to a rise in the demand for privacy coins. More and more people are becoming concerned about increased financial surveillance. The sentiment led to a mass movement of capital into privacy cryptocurrencies. Other privacy-focused coins, such as Monero (XMR), also experienced significant gains. ZEC’s latest crisis could give XMR a significant advantage.
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