Protocol

Security model

What the design protects against, what it doesn't, and who you are trusting.

Status: pre-launch. Noirpay is being built. This page describes the design as specified in the whitepaper; nothing on it is live on Robinhood Chain yet, and details can change before launch. See What's live today.

Trust assumptions

You trustFor
Your own device and key handlingCustody. Noirpay never holds the spending key
The zero-knowledge circuits and their setupSoundness (no counterfeiting) and privacy (no leakage)
The pool contractsCorrect accounting; upgrade and pause controls are published with the contracts
The licensed rampKYC under its license; it never receives your notes
Yield venuesThe capital routed to them (risks)
Robinhood ChainLiveness and finality

What the design protects against

  • Balance, position and cost-basis exposure on the explorer.
  • Payment graph analysis: stealth addresses, consolidated notes and decorrelated exits break address, amount and timing links.
  • Payroll exposure: one batch, one transaction, per-recipient encryption.
  • Server compromise revealing positions: there are no plaintext positions on the server.
  • Coerced disclosure: there is no master key to compel.

What it doesn't protect against

  • A compromised client device. If your device is compromised, your spending key and notes are exposed. Use a hardware wallet for larger balances.
  • You revealing yourself. Reusing a stealth address you were paid at, or unshielding a round amount to a known address right after shielding it with decorrelation off.
  • Endpoint metadata. A network observer can see you use the Noirpay app; they cannot see what you do in it.
  • Venue failure. Yield routing carries venue risk.

Audits

Circuits and contracts will be audited before mainnet, and reports published on this page. There are no audits yet because there is no code on mainnet yet.

Responsible disclosure

Report vulnerabilities to hello@noirpay.app. A formal programme with scope and rewards is published with the audits.