Snowman Merkle Airdrop

AI First Flight #10
Beginner FriendlyFoundrySolidityNFT
EXP
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Submission Details
Severity: low
Valid

Global earnSnow Cooldown Can Be Extended via Zero-Amount buySnow

Description

Under normal behavior, users should only be able to call earnSnow() after at least one week has passed since the last economic activity (a previous buySnow() or earnSnow() call). The global timer s_earnTimer enforces this cooldown so that earnings occur no more frequently than once per week.

However, the buySnow() function resets s_earnTimer on every call and does not check for a non-zero amount. This allows any user to call buySnow(0) at no cost, which resets the global timer. As a result, the one-week cooldown for earnSnow() can be continuously extended, permanently preventing all users from earning SNOW until a valid buy occurs. This creates a global, costless, and fully on-chain denial-of-service condition.

```solidity
// Root cause in the codebase
function buySnow(uint256 amount) external payable canFarmSnow {
if (msg.value == (s_buyFee * amount)) {
_mint(msg.sender, amount); // amount can be 0
} else {
i_weth.safeTransferFrom(msg.sender, address(this), (s_buyFee * amount)); // amount can be 0
_mint(msg.sender, amount); // amount can be 0
}
@> s_earnTimer = block.timestamp; // timer is reset even for zero-amount buys
}
```

Risk

Likelihood:

  • This occurs whenever a user calls buySnow() with an amount of 0, which is allowed by the contract.

  • The global s_earnTimer is reset on every buy, so repeated zero-amount calls continuously extend the one-week cooldown.

Impact:

  • All users are prevented from calling earnSnow() for as long as the timer is being reset, creating a global, costless denial-of-service.

  • The protocol’s expected reward distribution is disrupted, and user experience and trust are negatively affected due to the inability to claim weekly SNOW tokens.

Proof of Concept

function testZeroAmountBuyCanBlockEarnSnow() public {
// Step 1: Someone performs an initial buy to start the timer
vm.startPrank(jerry);
weth.approve(address(snow), FEE);
snow.buySnow(1);
vm.stopPrank();
// Fast forward close to the end of the 1-week cooldown
vm.warp(block.timestamp + 1 weeks - 3 hours);
// At this point, earnSnow should be callable in ~3 hours
// Step 2: Attacker performs a zero-amount buy
vm.prank(victory);
snow.buySnow(0); // costs nothing, but resets s_earnTimer
// Step 3: Even after the original cooldown should have elapsed,
// earnSnow is still blocked because the timer was reset
vm.warp(block.timestamp + 3 hours);
vm.prank(ashley);
vm.expectRevert(Snow.S__Timer.selector);
snow.earnSnow();
// Step 4: Attacker can repeat this indefinitely to extend the cooldown forever
vm.prank(victory);
snow.buySnow(0);
vm.warp(block.timestamp + 1 weeks);
vm.prank(ashley);
vm.expectRevert(Snow.S__Timer.selector);
snow.earnSnow();
}

Recommended Mitigation

THis should be how the buysnow function handles first buys
if (s_earnTimer == 0) {
s_earnTimer = block.timestamp; // first buy sets it
}
Updates

Lead Judging Commences

ai-first-flight-judge Lead Judge 12 days ago
Submission Judgement Published
Validated
Assigned finding tags:

[L-02] Global Timer Reset in Snow::buySnow Denies Free Claims for All Users

## Description: The `Snow::buySnow` function contains a critical flaw where it resets a global timer `(s_earnTimer)` to the current block timestamp on every invocation. This timer controls eligibility for free token claims via `Snow::earnSnow()`, which requires 1 week to pass since the last timer reset. As a result: Any token purchase `(via buySnow)` blocks all free claims for all users for 7 days Malicious actors can permanently suppress free claims with micro-transactions Contradicts protocol documentation promising **"free weekly claims per user"** ## Impact: * **Complete Denial-of-Service:** Free claim mechanism becomes unusable * **Broken Protocol Incentives:** Undermines core user acquisition strategy * **Economic Damage:** Eliminates promised free distribution channel * **Reputation Harm:** Users perceive protocol as dishonest ```solidity function buySnow(uint256 amount) external payable canFarmSnow { if (msg.value == (s_buyFee * amount)) { _mint(msg.sender, amount); } else { i_weth.safeTransferFrom(msg.sender, address(this), (s_buyFee * amount)); _mint(msg.sender, amount); } @> s_earnTimer = block.timestamp; emit SnowBought(msg.sender, amount); } ``` ## Risk **Likelihood**: • Triggered by normal protocol usage (any purchase) • Requires only one transaction every 7 days to maintain blockage • Incentivized attack (low-cost disruption) **Impact**: • Permanent suppression of core protocol feature • Loss of user trust and adoption • Violates documented tokenomics ## Proof of Concept **Attack Scenario:** Permanent Free Claim Suppression * Attacker calls **buySnow(1)** with minimum payment * **s\_earnTimer** sets to current timestamp (T0) * All **earnSnow()** calls revert for **next 7 days** * On day 6, attacker repeats **buySnow(1)** * New timer reset (T1 = T0+6 days) * Free claims blocked until **T1+7 days (total 13 days)** * Repeat step **4 every 6 days → permanent blockage** **Test Case:** ```solidity // Day 0: Deploy contract snow = new Snow(...); // s_earnTimer = 0 // UserA claims successfully snow.earnSnow(); // Success (first claim always allowed) // Day 1: UserB buys 1 token snow.buySnow(1); // Resets global timer to day 1 // Day 2: UserA attempts claim snow.earnSnow(); // Reverts! Requires day 1+7 = day 8 // Day 7: UserC buys 1 token (day 7 < day 1+7) snow.buySnow(1); // Resets timer to day 7 // Day 8: UserA retries snow.earnSnow(); // Still reverts! Now requires day 7+7 = day 14 ``` ## Recommended Mitigation **Step 1:** Remove Global Timer Reset from `buySnow` ```diff function buySnow(uint256 amount) external payable canFarmSnow { // ... existing payment logic ... - s_earnTimer = block.timestamp; emit SnowBought(msg.sender, amount); } ``` **Step 2:** Implement Per-User Timer in `earnSnow` ```solidity // Add new state variable mapping(address => uint256) private s_lastClaimTime; function earnSnow() external canFarmSnow { // Check per-user timer instead of global if (s_lastClaimTime[msg.sender] != 0 && block.timestamp < s_lastClaimTime[msg.sender] + 1 weeks ) { revert S__Timer(); } _mint(msg.sender, 1); s_lastClaimTime[msg.sender] = block.timestamp; // Update user-specific timer emit SnowEarned(msg.sender, 1); // Add missing event } ``` **Step 3:** Initialize First Claim (Constructor) ```solidity constructor(...) { // Initialize with current timestamp to prevent immediate claims s_lastClaimTime[address(0)] = block.timestamp; } ```

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