Explore the history and evolution of ZK Hack, winners' experiences, and the ZK Jobs board. Delve into Alio sponsorship, ZK Hack 4 results, and upcoming interviews. Learn about the growth of the ZK Hack ecosystem, from online competitions to workshops. Dive into ZK DSL bugs, geometry research advancements, and innovating zero-knowledge technology. Hear participants discuss ZK puzzles vs. CTFs, crypto attacks, and cybersecurity challenges. Reflect on ZK technology efficiency, future events, and the winners of ZK Hack IV.
ZK Hack has evolved into an educational hub with workshops, puzzle hacking, and various channels for learning.
Competitors in ZK Hack find challenges enjoyable and manageable but suggest future puzzles to align better with auditing real systems.
Winners of ZK Hack 4 emphasize studying cryptographic primitives, top-down problem-solving, and preparing with the chosen language library for success.
Deep dives
History and Evolution of ZK Hack Project
ZK Hack, a project initiated in 2021 separate from the podcast, has evolved from an online event to now being an educational hub. The initial seven-week event featured workshop sessions and puzzle hacking competitions. The project has expanded into various channels including a website, Discord, ZK mesh newsletter, ZK whiteboard educational series, and study groups.
ZK Hack Puzzles and Competitors' Experience
The ZK Hack puzzles, resembling CTF challenges, are designed with vulnerabilities for participants to exploit. Competitors with cryptographic knowledge found the puzzles both enjoyable and manageable. Participants highlighted the need to understand the problem before delving deep into complex concepts, suggesting potential future puzzles to be more intricate and closely aligned with auditing real systems. Top contenders emphasized the importance of top-down problem-solving approaches and familiarizing with the chosen cryptographic language prior to the event.
Insights from ZK Hack Winners
Winners of ZK Hack 4, showcasing diverse cryptographic skills, provided insights into their preparation strategies and experiences during the competition. Participants highlighted the significance of grasping cryptographic primitives, such as elliptic curves, and understanding circuit implementations. Recommendations for future contestants included studying the chosen language library beforehand and focusing on a top-down problem-solving methodology. Noteworthily, the inclusion of more in-depth problems aligning with real-world audit scenarios was suggested for enriching the competition's complexity and educational value.
Experience and Background in ZK Hack Competitions
The participant, Nicola, discussed his experience in previous ZK Hack competitions, highlighting the shift in the difficulty level of puzzles and the familiarity with concepts such as BLS and Artworks. Nicola also shared insights into potential future challenges that could target more experienced participants, suggesting tasks that focus on fixing broken implementations or integrating ZK protocols into existing software.
Future Involvement and Research in ZK Space
Nicola expressed uncertainty about his future involvement in the ZK space due to his current work at Ledger and the evolving research landscape in ZK technologies. While enjoying his work at Ledger and exploring various topics, including potential ZK applications, Nicola remains open to opportunities for further engagement in the ZK field as it progresses.
This week’s episode is a little different from the usual and is split into two parts with Anna and Kobi exploring the history of ZK Hack, its origins and how the event has evolved into what it is today, including current activity in the ZK Hack ecosystem. The second half of the show splits off into Anna and Nico chatting the top 3 hackers from ZK Hack IV Online, which wrapped back in February. Each mini interview catches up with one of the winners and dives into what it was like to hack on the puzzles, which their favourites were and how they can be improved in the future.
