The new version of Wasabi Wallet introduces a button that easily allows users to change the coordinator for CoinJoin transactions.
Among the features introduced in the new version 2.0.8 called Hydra, the Wasabi Wallet team has added a button that easily allows users to change the coordinator for CoinJoin transactions. The new option makes it easier for users to paste the connection information of the newly chosen coordinator without having to edit any configuration files as was previously required.
The release of the new version coincides with the shutdown of the default zkSNACKs coordinator on June 1st.
Following the closure of the default coordinator, nine different coordinators emerged the next day. Thanks to the new “Change Coordinator” feature, it is now possible to resume CoinJoin transactions on Wasabi Wallet.
Currently, there are two ways to discover all the new coordinators available on Wasabi: one method is through the BTCPay Server CoinJoin plugin, which, in addition to allowing users to become coordinators, provides a feature called “Discovery” to see all existing coordinators; the other way is via Nostr, using the WasabiNostr tool.
However, despite the emergence of new coordinators being a positive development, there are also some drawbacks to consider. One difference compared to the former zkSNACKs coordinator is that the anonymity set of a UTXO that has participated in a CoinJoin transaction will be lower due to the initially lower liquidity available for CoinJoin. Another difference is the increased risk of a Sybil Attack by a coordinator.
A Sybil Attack is a type of cyber attack where multiple fake identities are created within a decentralized network, posing as legitimate identities, in order to gain an advantage over network users and potentially lead to privacy breaches, theft of funds, and transaction censorship.
It will take some time before the available liquidity is sufficient to effectively obfuscate the inputs and outputs of a CoinJoin transaction.
In addition to the new version of Wasabi, it is worth noting the emergence of a fork called Ginger Wallet, a new privacy-focused wallet with integrated CoinJoin. Currently, the wallet is not yet available for download, but according to the website, the client will be available for download in the first week of June.
