Snowman Merkle Airdrop

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

Global variable usage in earnSnow causes Denial of Service for all users except one per week

Global s_earnTimer variable causes Denial of Service for all users

Description

  • The Snow contract uses a single, global state variable s_earnTimer (uint256) to track the cooldown period for the earnSnow function.

  • Because this variable is shared among all users, once the first user calls earnSnow, the s_earnTimer is updated to the current timestamp. Any subsequent call by any other user will verify against this global timestamp. Since block.timestamp will be less than s_earnTimer + 1 weeks, the transaction will revert.

// Root cause in the codebase with @> marks to highlight the relevant section

Risk

Likelihood:

  • The vulnerability triggers immediately upon the first successful execution of earnSnow by any user. The shared state variable s_earnTimer updates to the current timestamp, imposing the cooldown restriction globally on all participants rather than individually.

Impact:

  • High: The protocol suffers a complete Denial of Service (DoS) regarding free token distribution. The intended functionality of allowing every user to earn tokens weekly is rendered impossible, effectively restricting the entire protocol to a single successful claim per week for the entire world.

Proof of Concept

The following test demonstrates the Denial of Service. First, Alice successfully claims a Snow token, which updates the global s_earnTimer. Next, the test simulates a time passage of 1 day. Finally, Bob attempts to claim a token. Even though Bob is a distinct user who has never claimed before, his transaction reverts because the contract validates against the global timer set by Alice, locking him out.

function testGlobalTimerLocksOutOtherUsers() public {
// 1. Alice claims her free Snow token successfully
// This sets the GLOBAL s_earnTimer to the current block.timestamp
vm.prank(alice);
snow.earnSnow();
// 2. Time passes: 1 day later (well within the 1 week cooldown)
vm.warp(block.timestamp + 1 days);
// 3. Bob tries to claim his free Snow token
// EXPECTATION: He should be able to claim because HE hasn't claimed yet.
// REALITY: He reverts because the contract checks the global variable set by Alice.
vm.prank(bob);
vm.expectRevert(Snow.S__Timer.selector);
snow.earnSnow();
}

Recommended Mitigation

Replace the single global s_earnTimer state variable with a mapping(address => uint256). This ensures that the cooldown period is tracked individually for each user address (msg.sender) rather than globally for the entire protocol.

- uint256 private s_earnTimer;
+ mapping(address => uint256) private s_lastClaimTime;
function earnSnow() external canFarmSnow {
- if (s_earnTimer != 0 && block.timestamp < (s_earnTimer + 1 weeks)) {
+ if (s_lastClaimTime[msg.sender] != 0 && block.timestamp < (s_lastClaimTime[msg.sender] + 1 weeks)) {
revert S__Timer();
}
_mint(msg.sender, 1);
- s_earnTimer = block.timestamp;
+ s_lastClaimTime[msg.sender] = block.timestamp;
}
Updates

Lead Judging Commences

ai-first-flight-judge Lead Judge about 5 hours 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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