Ethereum developers have introduced Kohaku, a roadmap focused on enhancing wallet privacy and security through a modular framework intended for developers and advanced users.
The project, announced in a blog post on Thursday by Ethereum Foundation coordinator Nicolas Consigny, details plans to create a suite of privacy and security primitives for the Ethereum ecosystem.
Kohaku aims to establish a software development kit (SDK) for secure wallet functions, along with a reference wallet showcasing how these tools are applied. The initial version will be launched as a browser extension based on the Ambire wallet, tailored for advanced users seeking greater control and privacy.
The development of Kohaku is a collaborative effort with prominent teams in 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
The main objective of Kohaku is to diminish the dependence of wallets on centralized services capable of tracking transactions. The project will feature functionalities such as private sending and receiving, concealing IP addresses, dedicated accounts for each DApp, and P2P transaction broadcasting that avoids standard remote procedure call (RPC) servers.
Additionally, it plans to implement social recovery options using tools like ZK Email or Anon Aadhaar, facilitating access restoration without compromising privacy. ZK Email utilizes 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 intends to bring wallet security closer to the device level, which they describe as “as close as possible to the silicon.” This involves developing a native Ethereum browser for users to securely interact with DApps, IPFS content, and decentralized networks without data leaks.
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Ethereum Foundation establishes “Privacy Cluster”
On Wednesday, the Ethereum Foundation announced a new initiative named the Privacy Cluster, which gathers 47 leading researchers, engineers, and cryptographers to devise privacy features at the protocol level of the Ethereum network.
The team will collaborate with the Privacy and Scaling Explorations (PSE) group to introduce tools such as 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 Ethereum Foundation and PSE projects, with Kohaku being one of them. Other significant initiatives include Private Reads & Writes, Private Proving, Private Identities, and more.
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