Rust Fund

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

Refunds always return 0 lamports because contribution.amount is never incremented after initialization

Normal behavior:
When a contributor deposits SOL into a campaign, the contribute instruction should track the contributor's total deposit in the contribution.amount field. When the contributor later requests a refund, the refund instruction should read contribution.amount and return exactly that amount of lamports to the contributor, then reset contribution.amount to 0 to prevent double-refunding.

Specific issue:
In the contribute instruction, when a Contribution account is first initialized, contribution.amount is set to 0. On subsequent contributions, the initialization block is skipped because contribution.contributor is already set. However, there is no line anywhere in the contribute function that increments contribution.amount by the contributed amount. Only fund.amount_raised is updated (line 50). The contribution.amount field therefore remains at 0 permanently. When the refund instruction reads ctx.accounts.contribution.amount (line 68), it always gets 0, so it transfers 0 lamports to the contributor. The refund "succeeds" but the contributor receives nothing, and their contribution.amount is "reset" from 0 to 0 (a no-op).

ROOT CAUSE:

pub fn contribute(ctx: Context<FundContribute>, amount: u64) -> Result<()> {
let fund = &mut ctx.accounts.fund;
let contribution = &mut ctx.accounts.contribution;
if fund.deadline != 0 && fund.deadline < Clock::get().unwrap().unix_timestamp.try_into().unwrap() {
return Err(ErrorCode::DeadlineReached.into());
}
if contribution.contributor == Pubkey::default() {
contribution.contributor = ctx.accounts.contributor.key();
contribution.fund = fund.key();
contribution.amount = 0; // @> Set to 0 on init — OK
}
// @> MISSING: contribution.amount += amount — 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; // @> Only fund-level counter updated
Ok(())
}

RISK:

Likelihood:
HIGH — This occurs on every single contribution to every campaign. There is no code path that ever sets contribution.amount to a non-zero value. Every contributor who deposits SOL and then attempts a refund will receive 0 lamports. The bug is systemic and affects 100% of refund attempts.

Impact:
HIGH — Contributors cannot recover their deposited SOL through the refund mechanism. Combined with RF-01 (creator can withdraw anytime), this means contributor funds are effectively stolen: the creator can drain the fund while contributors have zero recourse. The refund feature — a core safety mechanism of any crowdfunding protocol — is completely non-functional.

PROOF OF CONCEPT:

// RF-02: Refund returns 0 lamports because contribution.amount is never updated
// Save as: tests/rf02-poc.ts
it("Contribution amount stays 0 after contributing, refund returns nothing", async () => {
await program.methods.fundCreate("RefundTest", "Test", goal)
.accounts({ fund: fundPDA, creator: creator.publicKey,
systemProgram: anchor.web3.SystemProgram.programId })
.rpc();
await program.methods.setDeadline(deadline) // 5 seconds from now
.accounts({ fund: fundPDA, creator: creator.publicKey })
.rpc();
// Victim contributes 1 SOL
await program.methods.contribute(new anchor.BN(1_000_000_000))
.accounts({ fund: fundPDA, contributor: victim.publicKey,
contribution: contributionPDA,
systemProgram: anchor.web3.SystemProgram.programId })
.signers([victim])
.rpc();
// BUG: contribution.amount is 0, not 1 SOL
const contrib = await program.account.contribution.fetch(contributionPDA);
assert(contrib.amount.toString() === "0",
"contribution.amount should be 0 (BUG: never incremented)");
// fund.amount_raised IS updated correctly
const fund = await program.account.fund.fetch(fundPDA);
assert(fund.amountRaised.toString() === "1000000000",
"fund.amount_raised should be 1 SOL");
// Wait for deadline to pass
await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 6000));
// Refund succeeds but returns 0 lamports
const victimBalBefore = await provider.connection.getBalance(victim.publicKey);
await program.methods.refund()
.accounts({ fund: fundPDA, contribution: contributionPDA,
contributor: victim.publicKey,
systemProgram: anchor.web3.SystemProgram.programId })
.signers([victim])
.rpc();
const victimBalAfter = await provider.connection.getBalance(victim.publicKey);
const gained = victimBalAfter - victimBalBefore;
assert(gained < 5000, "Refund should return ~0 lamports (only tx fees)");
});

RECOMMENDED MITIGATION:

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

Lead Judging Commences

ai-first-flight-judge Lead Judge about 3 hours 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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