Zcash activates its Ironwood network upgrade, which retires the Orchard shielded pool and introduces new controls for shielded transactions. Multiple outlets report that the change follows findings by Zcash’s Shielded Labs about a counterfeiting-related vulnerability in Orchard that remained undetected for several years. As part of Ironwood, Zcash moves to a new shielded pool mechanism in which any value leaving the shielded system must do so through a gate tied to verified deposits. CoinDesk reports that the upgrade corresponds with Zcash “sealing” about $1.7 billion into the shielded pool, reflecting the amount locked under the new structure. The Block characterizes Ironwood as a coordinated effort across Zcash’s broader developer ecosystem, while Decrypt describes it as a long-awaited upgrade that adds safeguards intended to protect Zcash’s supply. While sources differ in emphasis—some focusing on the vulnerability and others on the scale and coordination—the reporting converges on the same core points: Orchard is decommissioned, a new shielded pool is launched, and additional safeguards are implemented to reduce the risk associated with the prior weakness.