- AmericanFortress’s ZK-POSP proofs cut generation time from 30 minutes to ~6 seconds.
- Proofs let bridges verify that source and destination wallets share the same hidden secret.
- The system also gives users audit-ready payment proofs without exposing full history.
A new cryptography paper from a privacy infrastructure developer AmericanFortress, is claiming a major speed boost for zero-knowledge proofs—a technology designed to verify information without revealing the secret behind it.
The company says its new system, called Zero-Knowledge Proofs of Seed Provenance (ZK-POSP), can prove that wallets across different blockchains are controlled by the same underlying hidden secret, potentially adding a new layer of security to bridges, swaps and other DeFi services.
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AmericanFortress also reports cutting the time needed to generate a proof from more than 30 minutes to roughly six seconds.
A Cryptographic Check for the Right Wallet
The paper outlines two main use cases for AmericanFortress’s ZK-POSP system:
- proving that funds are going to the right wallet across different blockchain systems,
- proving where payments came from without exposing a user’s wider transaction history.
For decentralized finance (DeFi), the system is designed to prevent what the paper calls “substitution.” A wallet can use different cryptographic schemes on different blockchains, and ZK-POSP can prove that wallet addresses across those systems were derived from the same hidden secret.
That could allow a bridge or swap service to require proof that the destination wallet is controlled by the same person as the source wallet before releasing funds. If an attacker or malware substitutes a different destination address, it would not be able to produce an accepting proof showing that it is linked to the sender’s secret. The same check can also be applied to refund addresses.
The second use case focuses on payment provenance. AmericanFortress says each payment can carry a proof that allows the recipient to identify the sender, while outside observers see only a one-time address. The brief says the sender’s registered identity is sealed so that only the recipient can read it.
The system is also designed for targeted audits. Instead of handing over a key that could expose an entire payment history, a recipient can generate a proof covering only the transactions being reviewed. According to the paper, the auditor can verify those payments without gaining access to unrelated transaction history.
From 30 Minutes to Roughly Six Seconds
The paper also reports a significant improvement in performance. It says generating a single ZK-POSP previously took more than 30 minutes of computing time. AmericanFortress says its system can now generate one in about six seconds.
For a two-chain bridge requiring two full-path proofs, the reported proving time is about 13.3 seconds, with verification taking roughly 950 milliseconds, plus an unmeasured linkage step. Adding a refund address brings the reported proving time to about 20 seconds.
AmericanFortress also says the proofs inherit post-quantum security from the underlying proof system.
The Security Problem Bridges Still Face
The release comes as a series of major bridge exploits has highlighted vulnerabilities in cross-chain systems.
In April, Kelp DAO’s LayerZero-based bridge was exploited for about $292 million in rsETH. In June, an issue in Syscoin’s bridge allowed roughly 5 billion SYS—worth about $10 million at the time—to be released.
PeckShield also reported about $136 million in losses across 50 major crypto hacks in August.
AmericanFortress says ZK-POSP addresses a different layer of bridge security: verifying that the destination wallet is controlled by the same hidden secret as the wallet that deposited the funds.
The company argues that adding this check could prevent a destination address from being substituted without detection.
What the Technology Could Change
Bridge exploits and address-poisoning attacks have cost the crypto industry hundreds of millions of dollars in 2026 alone.
A verification layer that confirms wallet ownership before payout could address a mechanism attackers have repeatedly exploited, though adoption by bridges and exchanges would determine any real-world impact.
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