Snowman Merkle Airdrop

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

Global s_earnTimer instead of per-user causes DoS: one user's earnSnow blocks all others

Root + Impact

Description

Snow's earnSnow() is meant to let each user claim 1 free Snow token per week, gated by a per-user cooldown.

The problem is that the cooldown state s_earnTimer is a single contract-wide variable, not a per-user mapping. When any user calls earnSnow(), the global timer is reset for everyone, so a second distinct user is blocked for a week even though they never farmed.


Solidity
uint256 private s\_earnTimer; // @> global, should be mapping(address => uint256)
function earnSnow() external canFarmSnow {
if (s\_earnTimer != 0 && block.timestamp < (s\_earnTimer + 1 weeks)) {
revert S\_\_Timer();
}
\_mint(msg.sender, 1);
s\_earnTimer = block.timestamp; // @> overwrites the timer for ALL users
}

Risk

Likelihood:

* Occurs whenever more than one user interacts with the protocol — i.e., normal operation.

* Worsened because buySnow() also writes s_earnTimer, and buySnow(0) costs nothing, letting an attacker keep the global timer fresh and permanently block earnSnow() for everyone.

Impact:

* Only one user in the entire protocol can farm per week (whoever calls first).

* The free weekly farming mechanism is effectively denied to all other users — a protocol-wide DoS on a core feature.

Proof of Concept

This test passes: Alice farms, then Bob (a different user who never farmed) is immediately blocked with S__Timer.

function test_PoC_GlobalTimerDoS() public {
vm.prank(alice);
snow.earnSnow();
assertEq(snow.balanceOf(alice), 1);
// Bob never farmed, yet is blocked by Alice's action
vm.prank(bob);
vm.expectRevert(Snow.S__Timer.selector);
snow.earnSnow();
assertEq(snow.balanceOf(bob), 0); // Bob blocked without ever farming
}

Recommended Mitigation

  • Track the cooldown per user with a mapping so each address has its own independent weekly timer. Also remove the s_earnTimer write from buySnow(), since buying should not affect the earn cooldown.

    - uint256 private s_earnTimer;
    + mapping(address => uint256) private s_earnTimer;
    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 3 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; } ```

Support

FAQs

Can't find an answer? Chat with us on Discord, Twitter or Linkedin.

Give us feedback!