Puppy Raffle

AI First Flight #1
Beginner FriendlyFoundrySolidityNFT
EXP
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Submission Details
Severity: low
Valid

getActivePlayerIndex returns 0 for non-existent players, colliding with a valid index

PuppyRaffle::getActivePlayerIndex returns 0 for non-existent players, colliding with a valid index

Description

The getActivePlayerIndex function is meant to return the index of a player in the players array. If the player is not found, it returns 0 as a default value. However, 0 is also a valid index -- it is the index of the first player who entered the raffle.

This means there is no way to distinguish between "the player is at index 0" and "the player was not found." A user who is not in the raffle could mistakenly believe they are at index 0 and attempt to call refund(0), which would fail (since they aren't the player at index 0) but still causes confusion. More critically, a player who is legitimately at index 0 cannot trust the return value, since it looks identical to the "not found" case.

function getActivePlayerIndex(address player) external view returns (uint256) {
for (uint256 i = 0; i < players.length; i++) {
if (players[i] == player) {
return i;
}
}
@> return 0;
}

Risk

Likelihood:

  • Any off-chain integration or frontend relying on this function to check if a player is active will misinterpret the return value

  • The player at index 0 has no reliable way to verify their membership via this function

Impact:

  • Off-chain systems or users incorrectly assume a non-existent player is at index 0, leading to failed refund calls and wasted gas

  • The player at index 0 cannot distinguish their valid index from a "not found" result, undermining trust in the function's output

Proof of Concept

  1. A single player enters the raffle and is assigned index 0 in the players array.

  2. We call getActivePlayerIndex for that player and get 0 -- a correct result.

  3. We then call getActivePlayerIndex for a completely unrelated address that never entered the raffle.

  4. The function also returns 0 -- an incorrect result that is indistinguishable from the valid case.

  5. Any code or user relying on this return value cannot tell whether the address is the first player or simply not in the raffle at all.

function testAmbiguousPlayerIndex() public {
address[] memory players = new address[](1);
players[0] = playerOne;
puppyRaffle.enterRaffle{value: entranceFee}(players);
// Player at index 0 gets 0 -- correct
uint256 indexOfPlayerOne = puppyRaffle.getActivePlayerIndex(playerOne);
assertEq(indexOfPlayerOne, 0);
// Non-existent player also gets 0 -- incorrect / ambiguous
uint256 indexOfNonExistent = puppyRaffle.getActivePlayerIndex(address(0xdead));
assertEq(indexOfNonExistent, 0);
// Both return values are identical -- impossible to distinguish
assertEq(indexOfPlayerOne, indexOfNonExistent);
}

Recommended Mitigation

Revert when the player is not found instead of returning a misleading default value:

function getActivePlayerIndex(address player) external view returns (uint256) {
for (uint256 i = 0; i < players.length; i++) {
if (players[i] == player) {
return i;
}
}
- return 0;
+ revert("PuppyRaffle: Player not found");
}
Updates

Lead Judging Commences

ai-first-flight-judge Lead Judge 1 day ago
Submission Judgement Published
Validated
Assigned finding tags:

[L-01] Ambiguous index returned from PuppyRaffle::getActivePlayerIndex(address), leading to possible refund failures

## Description The `PuppyRaffle::getActivePlayerIndex(address)` returns `0` when the index of this player's address is not found, which is the same as if the player would have been found in the first element in the array. This can trick calling logic to think the address was found and then attempt to execute a `PuppyRaffle::refund(uint256)`. ## Vulnerability Details The `PuppyRaffle::refund()` function requires the index of the player's address to preform the requested refund. ```solidity /// @param playerIndex the index of the player to refund. You can find it externally by calling `getActivePlayerIndex` function refund(uint256 playerIndex) public; ``` In order to have this index, `PuppyRaffle::getActivePlayerIndex(address)` must be used to learn the correct value. ```solidity /// @notice a way to get the index in the array /// @param player the address of a player in the raffle /// @return the index of the player in the array, if they are not active, it returns 0 function getActivePlayerIndex(address player) external view returns (int256) { // find the index... // if not found, then... return 0; } ``` The logic in this function returns `0` as the default, which is as stated in the `@return` NatSpec. However, this can create an issue when the calling logic checks the value and naturally assumes `0` is a valid index that points to the first element in the array. When the players array has at two or more players, calling `PuppyRaffle::refund()` with the incorrect index will result in a normal revert with the message "PuppyRaffle: Only the player can refund", which is fine and obviously expected. On the other hand, in the event a user attempts to perform a `PuppyRaffle::refund()` before a player has been added the EvmError will likely cause an outrageously large gas fee to be charged to the user. This test case can demonstrate the issue: ```solidity function testRefundWhenIndexIsOutOfBounds() public { int256 playerIndex = puppyRaffle.getActivePlayerIndex(playerOne); vm.prank(playerOne); puppyRaffle.refund(uint256(playerIndex)); } ``` The results of running this one test show about 9 ETH in gas: ```text Running 1 test for test/PuppyRaffleTest.t.sol:PuppyRaffleTest [FAIL. Reason: EvmError: Revert] testRefundWhenIndexIsOutOfBounds() (gas: 9079256848778899449) Test result: FAILED. 0 passed; 1 failed; 0 skipped; finished in 914.01µs ``` Additionally, in the very unlikely event that the first player to have entered attempts to preform a `PuppyRaffle::refund()` for another user who has not already entered the raffle, they will unwittingly refund their own entry. A scenario whereby this might happen would be if `playerOne` entered the raffle for themselves and 10 friends. Thinking that `nonPlayerEleven` had been included in the original list and has subsequently requested a `PuppyRaffle::refund()`. Accommodating the request, `playerOne` gets the index for `nonPlayerEleven`. Since the address does not exist as a player, `0` is returned to `playerOne` who then calls `PuppyRaffle::refund()`, thereby refunding their own entry. ## Impact 1. Exorbitantly high gas fees charged to user who might inadvertently request a refund before players have entered the raffle. 2. Inadvertent refunds given based in incorrect `playerIndex`. ## Recommendations 1. Ideally, the whole process can be simplified. Since only the `msg.sender` can request a refund for themselves, there is no reason why `PuppyRaffle::refund()` cannot do the entire process in one call. Consider refactoring and implementing the `PuppyRaffle::refund()` function in this manner: ```solidity /// @dev This function will allow there to be blank spots in the array function refund() public { require(_isActivePlayer(), "PuppyRaffle: Player is not active"); address playerAddress = msg.sender; payable(msg.sender).sendValue(entranceFee); for (uint256 playerIndex = 0; playerIndex < players.length; ++playerIndex) { if (players[playerIndex] == playerAddress) { players[playerIndex] = address(0); } } delete existingAddress[playerAddress]; emit RaffleRefunded(playerAddress); } ``` Which happens to take advantage of the existing and currently unused `PuppyRaffle::_isActivePlayer()` and eliminates the need for the index altogether. 2. Alternatively, if the existing process is necessary for the business case, then consider refactoring the `PuppyRaffle::getActivePlayerIndex(address)` function to return something other than a `uint` that could be mistaken for a valid array index. ```diff + int256 public constant INDEX_NOT_FOUND = -1; + function getActivePlayerIndex(address player) external view returns (int256) { - function getActivePlayerIndex(address player) external view returns (uint256) { for (uint256 i = 0; i < players.length; i++) { if (players[i] == player) { return int256(i); } } - return 0; + return INDEX_NOT_FOUND; } function refund(uint256 playerIndex) public { + require(playerIndex < players.length, "PuppyRaffle: No player for index"); ```

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