Ethereum developers have introduced Kohaku, a roadmap focused on enhancing wallet privacy and security through a modular framework tailored for developers and advanced users.
This initiative, reported in a Thursday blog post by Ethereum Foundation coordinator Nicolas Consigny, details plans to create a suite of privacy and security primitives for the Ethereum ecosystem.
At its foundation, Kohaku aims to develop a software development kit (SDK) for constructing secure wallet functionalities, along with a reference wallet that showcases the practical application of these tools. The initial version will be offered as a browser extension based on the Ambire wallet, specifically designed for advanced users seeking enhanced control and privacy.
Kohaku is being developed in collaboration with prominent teams within the Ethereum ecosystem, including Ambire, Railgun, DeFi Wonderland, Helios, and Oblivious Labs. The project is open-source, inviting developers to contribute through its GitHub repositories.
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Kohaku aims to reduce wallets’ reliance on centralized services
Kohaku’s central objective is to decrease wallets’ dependency on centralized services capable of tracking transactions. The project will incorporate features such as private sending and receiving, IP address masking, separate accounts for each DApp, and P2P transaction broadcasting that circumvents standard remote procedure call (RPC) servers.
Additionally, it plans to introduce social recovery options utilizing tools like ZK Email or Anon Aadhaar, making it simpler to regain access without compromising privacy. ZK Email employs zero-knowledge proofs for anonymous email verification, while Anon Aadhaar allows users to verify their identity while preserving privacy.
In the long term, the team aspires to bring wallet security nearer to the device level, termed “as close as possible to the silicon.” This involves developing a native Ethereum browser where users can securely interact with DApps, IPFS content, and decentralized networks without data leaks.
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Ethereum Foundation launches “Privacy Cluster”
On Wednesday, the Ethereum Foundation initiated a new project called the Privacy Cluster, uniting 47 leading researchers, engineers, and cryptographers to enhance privacy features at the protocol level of the Ethereum network.
The group will collaborate with the Privacy and Scaling Explorations (PSE) team to implement tools like private payments, confidential identity systems, and zero-knowledge infrastructure aimed at safeguarding user data directly on Ethereum’s layer-1 blockchain.
The Privacy Cluster encompasses various initiatives from the Ethereum Foundation and PSE, with Kohaku being one. Other significant projects include Private Reads & Writes, Private Proving, Private Identities, and more.
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