Zero knowledge technology company = null; Foundation has developed a new zero-knowledge ethereum virtual machine (zkEVM) type 1 compiler to address security issues identified in similar ethereum scaling solutions powered by ZK.
Speaking exclusively to Cointelegraph, =nil; Foundation CEO and co-founder Misha Komarov says the technology prioritizes security and allows high-level programming code to be automatically compiled into zero-knowledge non-interactive succinct knowledge argument loops (zk-SNARKS).
The company's zkEVM is designed to be compatible with ethereum/evmone” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener nofollow”>evmone, which is a C++ version of the base ethereum runtime environment. The key takeaway is that application code is processed and accumulated as tests sent to ethereum in the same format as its EVM.
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Compatibility is touted to ensure greater security and faster deployment since the bytecode is the same and eliminates the need for lengthy and costly code audits. The approach also provides transactions and smart contracts directly compatible with the ethereum virtual machine.
Several high-profile zkEVMs will hit the market in 2023. These layer 2 protocols aim to help ethereum process large transaction loads and smart contract functions. Cointelegraph has covered them in detail, with companies like Consensys, Polygon, StarkWare, and Matter Labs launching ZK-rollup solutions to provide high-performance, low-fee capabilities to decentralized applications, services, and network users.
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As Komarov explains, =nil; Foundation's solution relies on an automated compiler that contrasts the design of other zkEVMs, which define circuits manually. He describes existing approaches as “time-consuming” and “too complex,” which also risks introducing human error.
These concerns were evident in discovering a solidity bug in the ZK circuits used in the zkSync mainnet Era from Matter Labs. Security company ChainLight received a reward of 50,000 USD Coin (USDC) from the company for identifying the vulnerability in September 2023.
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The bug would have allowed an attacker to submit proof of invalidly executed blocks, which the smart contract verifier on the ethereum mainnet would have accepted. Matter Labs implemented a fix and gave ChainLight a bug bounty, the first claimed for a ZK circuit bug in the zkSync era.
“Vitalik Buterin started talking about safety issues, such as if a circuit breaks,” explains Komarov.
“We started investigating it. The problem became clear: these circuits are written manually. “People spent years building it, but it basically recreates the same logic as EVM, manually in the circuit representation.”
Komarov adds that this method makes code auditing extremely difficult. The zkSync error is an example of the potential for error involved in manually defined circuits. =Null; Foundation's approach is to automate the ethereum EVM compiler using its circuit compiler developed over the past two years.
“That's the closest we can get to the circuit having the same security as the original ethereum implementation. If that is broken, then the circuit is broken.”
The solution is also designed to adapt to EVM changes as the ethereum roadmap continues, providing a “future-proof” zkEVM compiler that does not require significant resources or time to update, given its automated design. This allows zkEVM to integrate the latest ethereum improvement proposals as they come into effect.
The foundation published its prototype code repository and specifications on December 12.
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