Rust Fund

AI First Flight #9
Beginner FriendlyRust
EXP
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Submission Details
Severity: high
Valid

Contribution amount never recorded — refunds always return 0 SOL

Root + Impact

Description

In contribute(), the program performs a CPI transfer of amount lamports from the contributor to the fund account and correctly increments fund.amount_raised. However it never writes the transferred amount into contribution.amount. The field stays at 0 for the lifetime of the contribution account.

// Root cause — @> marks the vulnerable lines
pub fn contribute(ctx: Context<FundContribute>, amount: u64) -> Result<()> {
let fund = &mut ctx.accounts.fund;
let contribution = &mut ctx.accounts.contribution;
if contribution.contributor == Pubkey::default() {
contribution.contributor = ctx.accounts.contributor.key();
contribution.fund = fund.key();
contribution.amount = 0;
}
system_program::transfer(cpi_context, amount)?;
@> fund.amount_raised += amount;
@> // BUG: contribution.amount += amount; is MISSING
Ok(())
}
pub fn refund(ctx: Context<FundRefund>) -> Result<()> {
@> let amount = ctx.accounts.contribution.amount; // always 0
// transfers 0 lamports — contributor receives nothing
ctx.accounts.contribution.amount = 0;
Ok(())
}

Risk

Likelihood:

  • Every contributor who calls refund() on a failed campaign receives 0 SOL regardless of how much they deposited — fires 100% of the time the refund path is taken

  • The contribute() function is the primary user-facing instruction; the missing line is exercised on every single contribution

  • No special attacker setup required — ordinary platform usage triggers the loss

Impact:

  • 100% of contributed SOL for any campaign ending in a refund scenario is permanently locked in the fund PDA with no programmatic recovery

  • fund.amount_raised becomes inconsistent once multiple contributions and partial refunds occur, breaking the creator's withdrawal too

  • The fund PDA accumulates lamports indefinitely because refunds never actually move SOL out

Proof of Concept

it('contributor loses SOL on refund due to missing amount tracking', async () => {
const contribution = 1_000_000_000; // 1 SOL
// 1. Create fund
await program.methods.fundCreate('TestFund', 'desc', new BN(5_000_000_000))
.accounts({ fund: fundPda, creator: creator.publicKey,
systemProgram: SystemProgram.programId })
.signers([creator]).rpc();
// 2. Set deadline in the past so refund is immediately available
await program.methods.setDeadline(new BN(1))
.accounts({ fund: fundPda, creator: creator.publicKey })
.signers([creator]).rpc();
// 3. Contribute 1 SOL
await program.methods.contribute(new BN(contribution))
.accounts({ fund: fundPda, contributor: contributor.publicKey,
contribution: contribPda, systemProgram: SystemProgram.programId })
.signers([contributor]).rpc();
// 4. Check stored amount — will be 0 (the bug)
const contribAcct = await program.account.contribution.fetch(contribPda);
@>assert.equal(contribAcct.amount.toNumber(), 0, 'amount is 0 — bug confirmed');
// 5. Refund — returns 0 SOL
await program.methods.refund()
.accounts({ fund: fundPda, contribution: contribPda,
contributor: contributor.publicKey,
systemProgram: SystemProgram.programId })
.signers([contributor]).rpc();
const balAfter = await provider.connection.getBalance(contributor.publicKey);
@>// balAfter << balBefore — contributor permanently lost 1 SOL
assert.isTrue(balAfter < balBefore - contribution, 'SOL lost permanently');
});

Recommended Mitigation

Add a single line after the CPI transfer to record the contribution. Accumulate rather than re-initialise on repeated contributions.

system_program::transfer(cpi_context, amount)?;
fund.amount_raised += amount;
+ contribution.amount += amount; // record individual contribution
Ok(())
Updates

Lead Judging Commences

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

[H-03] Permanent Loss of Contributor Funds: Missing Update to contribution.amount in the contribute() rustfund Contract

## Description The `rustfund` contract contains a logical error in the `contribute()` function that prevents `contribution.amount` from updating after a user makes a donation. Even though the code increments `fund.amount_raised`, the individual contributor’s record is never updated. As a result, the refund mechanism relies on a zeroed `contribution.amount`, preventing contributors from recovering the correct amount of funds. This issue disrupts the expected crowdfunding flow, undermines the integrity of individual contributions, and ultimately breaks the refund logic for users who should be entitled to their donated lamports if a project does not reach its goal. ## Vulnerability Details The `rustfund` contract fails to update the `contribution.amount` field in the `contribute()` function. While `fund.amount_raised` reflects the total lamports contributed, individual contributors’ amounts remain at zero, effectively breaking the logic for refunds. This oversight compromises the contract’s guarantee that users can retrieve their funds if the project does not succeed or if they become eligible for a refund. In its current state, once a user initiates a valid contribution, there is no proper record of their deposit aside from the aggregated fund total. Any subsequent `refund()` call will use the uninitialized `contribution.amount` (which remains zero), meaning contributors are unable to recover their deposits. Although this issue does not inherently enable an external attacker to steal funds directly, it causes loss of user funds through an incomplete or misleading refund process. ## Impact This logic flaw undermines the contract’s refund mechanism, potentially causing permanent loss of contributed funds. Contributors are led to believe they can retrieve their deposits if the crowdfunding goal is not met or the deadline passes; however, because `contribution.amount` never reflects the actual amount contributed, no valid refund can occur. This defect results in a direct financial impact for users who cannot recover their funds, and it diminishes trust in the contract’s overall integrity. ## Likelihood Explanation This vulnerability manifests whenever contributors interact with the `contribute()` and `refund()` functions in a real-world scenario. Because the missing code update is consistent across all calls, **every** contribution will fail to correctly record the contributor’s amount. Consequently, any refund operation will lead to the same zero-amount issue. This makes the flaw highly likely to occur and reliably reproducible for every user who attempts to donate and then request a refund. ## Proof of Concept The logical error lies in the `contribute()` function, where the `amount` is transferred to the `fund` and `fund.amount_raised` is incremented, yet `contribution.amount` remains unchanged. As a result, if `refund()` is called later, the contributed funds are not reimbursed because `contribution.amount` remains at zero. ### Code Analysis - [lib.rs -](https://github.com/CodeHawks-Contests/2025-03-rustfund/blob/main/programs/rustfund/src/lib.rs#L34-L52) [`contribute`](https://github.com/CodeHawks-Contests/2025-03-rustfund/blob/main/programs/rustfund/src/lib.rs#L34-L51) Below is an abridged version of the `contribute()` function focusing on the relevant sections: ```Rust pub fn contribute(ctx: Context<FundContribute>, amount: u64) -> Result<()> { // ... Preliminary code ... // Initialize or update contribution record if contribution.contributor == Pubkey::default() { contribution.contributor = ctx.accounts.contributor.key(); contribution.fund = fund.key(); contribution.amount = 0; } // (!) The amount is transferred but 'contribution.amount' is never updated let cpi_context = CpiContext::new( ctx.accounts.system_program.to_account_info(), system_program::Transfer { from: ctx.accounts.contributor.to_account_info(), to: fund.to_account_info(), }, ); system_program::transfer(cpi_context, amount)?; fund.amount_raised += amount; Ok(()) } ``` After `system_program::transfer(...)`, the update to `contribution.amount` is missing. The required line should be: ```rust contribution.amount = contribution.amount.checked_add(amount) .ok_or(ErrorCode::CalculationOverflow)?; ``` ### Explanation Since `contribution.amount` never increments during a contribution, the contract correctly records the transferred amount in `fund.amount_raised` but fails to mirror that amount in the contribution account. Consequently, `refund()` relies on a `contribution.amount` that remains zero, preventing users from retrieving their funds. ### Vulnerable Scenario 1. Alice creates a new fund using `fund_create()`. 2. Alice contributes 0.5 SOL via `contribute()`. Internally, `fund.amount_raised` increments, but `contribution.amount` remains at 0. 3. The fund’s deadline passes, and `refund()` is called. 4. The `refund()` function attempts to return the amount stored in `contribution.amount`, which is 0, so Alice does not get her 0.5 SOL back. ### Test and Result This test aims to verify that when a user contributes a specific amount to the fund, both `contribution.amount` and `fund.amountRaised` are updated accordingly. After invoking the `contribute()` method and fetching the relevant on-chain accounts, the test checks if the recorded amounts match the expected value. In the provided output, `contribution.amount` remains at zero instead of reflecting the correct 500000000 lamports, confirming that the code to increment this field is missing or not executed, resulting in the failing assertion. - Add the following test to `tests/rustfund.ts` after of the function test Contributes to fund ```TypeScript it("Contributes to fund", async () => {}); it("should update the contribution amount when a user contributes", async () => { // Derive the PDA for the contribution account [contributionPDA, contributionBump] = await PublicKey.findProgramAddress( [fundPDA.toBuffer(), provider.wallet.publicKey.toBuffer()], program.programId ); // Invoke the 'contribute' function to transfer the specified amount await program.methods .contribute(contribution) .accounts({ fund: fundPDA, contributor: provider.wallet.publicKey, contribution: contributionPDA, systemProgram: anchor.web3.SystemProgram.programId, }) .rpc(); // Fetch the updated 'fund' and 'contribution' accounts to validate changes const fundAccount = await program.account.fund.fetch(fundPDA); const contributionAccount = await program.account.contribution.fetch( contributionPDA ); // Confirm that 'contribution.amount' correctly reflects the contributed amount expect(contributionAccount.amount.toNumber()).to.equal( contribution.toNumber(), "The contribution.amount was not correctly updated" ); // Verify that 'fund.amountRaised' also matches the newly contributed amount expect(fundAccount.amountRaised.toNumber()).to.equal( contribution.toNumber(), "The fund.amountRaised was not correctly updated" ); }); it("Refunds contribution", async () => {}); ``` ```bash 1) rustfund should update the contribution amount when a user contributes: The contribution.amount was not correctly updated + expected - actual -0 +500000000 ``` ### Confirmation This flaw is confirmed by observing that `contribution.amount` never increases after a contribution. Its persistent zero value leads to `refund()` failing to return the appropriate funds. A safe and effective fix is to update `contribution.amount` within `contribute()`, for example by using `checked_add` to avoid overflow. ## Recommendations Include a line to increment the `contribution.amount` within the `contribute()` function, ensuring it tracks each user's donation amount. Use a safe addition operation to prevent overflow: ```rust contribution.amount = contribution.amount.checked_add(amount) .ok_or(ErrorCode::CalculationOverflow)?; ``` This change ensures the refund mechanism properly returns the correct amount to contributors.

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