Snowman Merkle Airdrop

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

Global (Non-Per-User) Cooldown in `Snow.earnSnow()` Allows Any User to Permanently Block All Other Users From Earning

Technical Root Cause

Snow.earnSnow() tracks its weekly cooldown in a single global variable instead of a per-address mapping:

uint256 private s_earnTimer;
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;
}

Every call to earnSnow(), from any address, reads and writes this one shared variable. The intended per-user cooldown becomes a protocol-wide cooldown instead: once any single user calls earnSnow(), every other user is blocked from calling it for a full week, regardless of their own claim history.

Impact

  • Any address, with no special privileges, can keep s_earnTimer perpetually within the 1-week window by calling earnSnow() roughly every 6.9 days.

  • Every other user attempting earnSnow() at any point after that first call reverts with S__Timer(), even users who have never called the function before.

  • This effectively denies the Snow-earning mechanism to the rest of the userbase for up to the full FARMING_DURATION (12 weeks).

  • No malicious intent is required to trigger the first instance — ordinary use by the first two callers already produces the bug. A deliberate attacker only needs to keep re-triggering it to sustain the denial-of-service indefinitely.

  • buySnow() also writes s_earnTimer, compounding the effect across both earning paths.

Proof of Concept

// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^0.8.24;
import {Test, console2} from "forge-std/Test.sol";
import {Snow} from "../src/Snow.sol";
import {MockWETH} from "../src/mock/MockWETH.sol";
contract GlobalTimerGriefing is Test {
Snow snow;
MockWETH weth;
address alice;
address bob;
function setUp() public {
weth = new MockWETH();
snow = new Snow(address(weth), 1, makeAddr("collector"));
alice = makeAddr("alice");
bob = makeAddr("bob");
}
function test_oneUserBlocksAnotherFromEarning() public {
// Bob has NEVER called earnSnow() before — this is his first attempt
vm.prank(alice);
snow.earnSnow();
assertEq(snow.balanceOf(alice), 1);
// Bob tries immediately after — he should have no reason to be
// blocked, since he has never claimed. The shared global timer
// blocks him anyway, purely because Alice called first.
vm.prank(bob);
vm.expectRevert(Snow.S__Timer.selector);
snow.earnSnow();
assertEq(snow.balanceOf(bob), 0);
}
}

Result: [PASS] test_oneUserBlocksAnotherFromEarning() (gas: 99517)
1 passed; 0 failed; 0 skipped

Recommended Mitigation

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

Lead Judging Commences

ai-first-flight-judge Lead Judge about 1 hour 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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