Snowman Merkle Airdrop

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

`Snow::s_earnTimer` is global instead of per-user - one user blocks all others from earning

Root + Impact

Description

  • The earnSnow function is designed to let each user earn 1 Snow token for free once per week.

  • However, s_earnTimer is a single global uint256 variable, not a mapping(address => uint256). When any user calls buySnow() or earnSnow(), the timer resets for everyone. This means only one user across the entire protocol can earn Snow per week.

// src/Snow.sol
uint256 private s_earnTimer; // @> global variable, shared by ALL users
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; // @> resets timer for ALL users
emit SnowBought(msg.sender, amount);
}
function earnSnow() external canFarmSnow {
if (s_earnTimer != 0 && block.timestamp < (s_earnTimer + 1 weeks)) { // @> checks global timer
revert S__Timer();
}
_mint(msg.sender, 1);
s_earnTimer = block.timestamp; // @> resets timer for ALL users
}

Risk

Likelihood:

  • This happens on every single buySnow or earnSnow call - it is guaranteed to occur during normal usage.

  • An attacker can also deliberately grief by calling buySnow(0) (see H-04).

Impact:

  • Only 1 user total can earn free Snow per week instead of each user earning once per week.

  • The free earning mechanism is fundamentally broken for any multi-user scenario.

  • Combined with buySnow(0) griefing, an attacker can permanently block earnSnow for everyone at zero cost.


Proof of Concept

The issue manifests during normal protocol usage with multiple users. Because s_earnTimer is a single uint256 and not a per-user mapping, the first user who interacts with earnSnow or buySnow effectively locks out all other users from the free earning mechanism for an entire week.

Step-by-step scenario:

  1. Alice calls earnSnow() at time T. She receives 1 Snow token and s_earnTimer is set to T.

  2. Bob calls earnSnow() at time T+1 day. The check block.timestamp < (s_earnTimer + 1 weeks) evaluates to true because T+1 day < T+7 days. Bob's transaction reverts.

  3. Charlie also tries during the same week — also reverted.

  4. After 1 full week passes, Bob calls earnSnow() at T+7 days. He succeeds, but now s_earnTimer is reset again — blocking Charlie and Alice for another full week.

  5. This means across the entire protocol lifetime, only ~52 users per year can earn free Snow tokens, regardless of how many users exist.

function testGlobalTimerBlocksAllUsers() public {
address alice = makeAddr("alice");
address bob = makeAddr("bob");
address charlie = makeAddr("charlie");
// Step 1: Alice earns Snow successfully — timer set for everyone
vm.prank(alice);
snow.earnSnow();
assertEq(snow.balanceOf(alice), 1);
// Step 2: Bob tries to earn 1 day later — blocked by Alice's timer
vm.warp(block.timestamp + 1 days);
vm.prank(bob);
vm.expectRevert(Snow.S__Timer.selector);
snow.earnSnow();
// Step 3: Charlie tries 3 days later — still blocked
vm.warp(block.timestamp + 2 days);
vm.prank(charlie);
vm.expectRevert(Snow.S__Timer.selector);
snow.earnSnow();
// Step 4: After 1 full week, Bob can earn — but resets timer again
vm.warp(block.timestamp + 4 days + 1);
vm.prank(bob);
snow.earnSnow();
assertEq(snow.balanceOf(bob), 1);
// Step 5: Charlie is blocked for another week by Bob's timer
vm.prank(charlie);
vm.expectRevert(Snow.S__Timer.selector);
snow.earnSnow();
// Charlie has to wait yet another full week
vm.warp(block.timestamp + 1 weeks + 1);
vm.prank(charlie);
snow.earnSnow();
assertEq(snow.balanceOf(charlie), 1);
}

Recommended Mitigation

Change s_earnTimer from a single uint256 to a mapping(address => uint256) so that each user's cooldown is tracked independently. This preserves the intended "once per week per user" mechanic without allowing one user's activity to interfere with another. The buySnow function should also update only the caller's timer, and the earnSnow check should read from the caller's own mapping entry.

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

Lead Judging Commences

ai-first-flight-judge Lead Judge about 4 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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