So a zero knowledge protocol (ZKP) is a protocol for which there exists an algorithm, called the simulator, which can produce, upon input of the assertion(s) to be proven but without interacting with the real prover, transcripts indistinguishable from those resulting from interaction with the real prover.

My question is this:

How is this good?

Indeed, one advantage is that the protocol leaks no information of the prover (I guess that's why it's called zero knowledge) since it produce what the prover would have produced without passing through him.

But, that exactly means that any can pretend to be the prover. Which isn't very good.

Am I getting something wrong?

So a zero knowledge protocol (ZKP) is a protocol for which there exists an algorithm, called the simulator, which can produce, upon input of the statement(s) to be proven, but without a witness for the truth of the statement, transcripts indistinguishable from those resulting from interaction with the real prover.

My question is this:

How is this good?

Indeed, one advantage is that the protocol leaks no information of the prover (I guess that's why it's called zero knowledge) since it produce what the prover would have produced without passing through him.

But, that exactly means that any can pretend to be the prover. Which isn't very good.

Am I getting something wrong?