bugfix: assert we always pass the create event to get_user_power_level (element-hq#18545)

The create event is required if there is no PL event, in which case the
creator gets PL100.

### Pull Request Checklist

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* [x] Pull request is based on the develop branch
* [x] Pull request includes a [changelog
file](https://element-hq.github.io/synapse/latest/development/contributing_guide.html#changelog).
The entry should:
- Be a short description of your change which makes sense to users.
"Fixed a bug that prevented receiving messages from other servers."
instead of "Moved X method from `EventStore` to `EventWorkerStore`.".
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- Feel free to credit yourself, by adding a sentence "Contributed by
@github_username." or "Contributed by [Your Name]." to the end of the
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* [x] [Code
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correct (run the
[linters](https://element-hq.github.io/synapse/latest/development/contributing_guide.html#run-the-linters))

---------

Co-authored-by: Andrew Morgan <[email protected]>

Author: kegsay

changelog.d/18545.bugfix

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Fix an issue where Synapse could calculate the wrong power level for the creator of the room if there was no power levels event.

synapse/api/auth/base.py

@@ -37,7 +37,9 @@
 from synapse.http import get_request_user_agent
 from synapse.http.site import SynapseRequest
 from synapse.logging.opentracing import trace
+from synapse.state import CREATE_KEY, POWER_KEY
 from synapse.types import Requester, create_requester
+from synapse.types.state import StateFilter
 from synapse.util.cancellation import cancellable
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
@@ -216,18 +218,20 @@ async def check_can_change_room_list(
         # by checking if they would (theoretically) be able to change the
         # m.room.canonical_alias events
 
-        power_level_event = (
-            await self._storage_controllers.state.get_current_state_event(
-                room_id, EventTypes.PowerLevels, ""
-            )
+        auth_events = await self._storage_controllers.state.get_current_state(
+            room_id,
+            StateFilter.from_types(
+                [
+                    POWER_KEY,
+                    CREATE_KEY,
+                ]
+            ),
         )
 
-        auth_events = {}
-        if power_level_event:
-            auth_events[(EventTypes.PowerLevels, "")] = power_level_event
-
         send_level = event_auth.get_send_level(
-            EventTypes.CanonicalAlias, "", power_level_event
+            EventTypes.CanonicalAlias,
+            "",
+            auth_events.get(POWER_KEY),
         )
         user_level = event_auth.get_user_power_level(
             requester.user.to_string(), auth_events

synapse/event_auth.py

@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@
     RoomVersion,
     RoomVersions,
 )
+from synapse.state import CREATE_KEY
 from synapse.storage.databases.main.events_worker import EventRedactBehaviour
 from synapse.types import (
     MutableStateMap,
@@ -308,6 +309,13 @@ def check_state_dependent_auth_rules(
 
     auth_dict = {(e.type, e.state_key): e for e in auth_events}
 
+    # Later code relies on there being a create event e.g _can_federate, _is_membership_change_allowed
+    # so produce a more intelligible error if we don't have one.
+    if auth_dict.get(CREATE_KEY) is None:
+        raise AuthError(
+            403, f"Event {event.event_id} is missing a create event in auth_events."
+        )
+
     # additional check for m.federate
     creating_domain = get_domain_from_id(event.room_id)
     originating_domain = get_domain_from_id(event.sender)
@@ -1010,11 +1018,16 @@ def get_user_power_level(user_id: str, auth_events: StateMap["EventBase"]) -> in
         user_id: user's id to look up in power_levels
         auth_events:
             state in force at this point in the room (or rather, a subset of
-            it including at least the create event and power levels event.
+            it including at least the create event, and possibly a power levels event).
 
     Returns:
         the user's power level in this room.
     """
+    create_event = auth_events.get(CREATE_KEY)
+    assert create_event is not None, (
+        "A create event in the auth events chain is required to calculate user power level correctly,"
+        " but was not found. This indicates a bug"
+    )
     power_level_event = get_power_level_event(auth_events)
     if power_level_event:
         level = power_level_event.content.get("users", {}).get(user_id)
@@ -1028,18 +1041,12 @@ def get_user_power_level(user_id: str, auth_events: StateMap["EventBase"]) -> in
     else:
         # if there is no power levels event, the creator gets 100 and everyone
         # else gets 0.
-
-        # some things which call this don't pass the create event: hack around
-        # that.
-        key = (EventTypes.Create, "")
-        create_event = auth_events.get(key)
-        if create_event is not None:
-            if create_event.room_version.implicit_room_creator:
-                creator = create_event.sender
-            else:
-                creator = create_event.content[EventContentFields.ROOM_CREATOR]
-            if creator == user_id:
-                return 100
+        if create_event.room_version.implicit_room_creator:
+            creator = create_event.sender
+        else:
+            creator = create_event.content[EventContentFields.ROOM_CREATOR]
+        if creator == user_id:
+            return 100
         return 0
 
 

synapse/push/bulk_push_rule_evaluator.py

@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
 from synapse.events import EventBase, relation_from_event
 from synapse.events.snapshot import EventContext
 from synapse.logging.context import make_deferred_yieldable, run_in_background
-from synapse.state import POWER_KEY
+from synapse.state import CREATE_KEY, POWER_KEY
 from synapse.storage.databases.main.roommember import EventIdMembership
 from synapse.storage.invite_rule import InviteRule
 from synapse.storage.roommember import ProfileInfo
@@ -246,6 +246,7 @@ async def _get_power_levels_and_sender_level(
             StateFilter.from_types(event_types)
         )
         pl_event_id = prev_state_ids.get(POWER_KEY)
+        create_event_id = prev_state_ids.get(CREATE_KEY)
 
         # fastpath: if there's a power level event, that's all we need, and
         # not having a power level event is an extreme edge case
@@ -268,6 +269,26 @@ async def _get_power_levels_and_sender_level(
                 if auth_event:
                     auth_events_dict[auth_event_id] = auth_event
             auth_events = {(e.type, e.state_key): e for e in auth_events_dict.values()}
+            if auth_events.get(CREATE_KEY) is None:
+                # if the event being checked is the create event, use its own permissions
+                if event.type == EventTypes.Create and event.get_state_key() == "":
+                    auth_events[CREATE_KEY] = event
+                else:
+                    auth_events[
+                        CREATE_KEY
+                    ] = await self.store.get_create_event_for_room(event.room_id)
+
+        # if we are evaluating the create event, then use itself to determine power levels.
+        if event.type == EventTypes.Create and event.get_state_key() == "":
+            auth_events[CREATE_KEY] = event
+        else:
+            # if we aren't processing the create event, create_event_id should always be set
+            assert create_event_id is not None
+            create_event = event_id_to_event.get(create_event_id)
+            if create_event:
+                auth_events[CREATE_KEY] = create_event
+            else:
+                auth_events[CREATE_KEY] = await self.store.get_event(create_event_id)
 
         sender_level = get_user_power_level(event.sender, auth_events)
 

synapse/rest/client/room.py

@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@
 from synapse.metrics.background_process_metrics import run_as_background_process
 from synapse.rest.client._base import client_patterns
 from synapse.rest.client.transactions import HttpTransactionCache
+from synapse.state import CREATE_KEY, POWER_KEY
 from synapse.streams.config import PaginationConfig
 from synapse.types import JsonDict, Requester, StreamToken, ThirdPartyInstanceID, UserID
 from synapse.types.state import StateFilter
@@ -924,16 +925,16 @@ async def on_GET(
         if include_unredacted_content and not await self.auth.is_server_admin(
             requester
         ):
-            power_level_event = (
-                await self._storage_controllers.state.get_current_state_event(
-                    room_id, EventTypes.PowerLevels, ""
-                )
+            auth_events = await self._storage_controllers.state.get_current_state(
+                room_id,
+                StateFilter.from_types(
+                    [
+                        POWER_KEY,
+                        CREATE_KEY,
+                    ]
+                ),
             )
 
-            auth_events = {}
-            if power_level_event:
-                auth_events[(EventTypes.PowerLevels, "")] = power_level_event
-
             redact_level = event_auth.get_named_level(auth_events, "redact", 50)
             user_level = event_auth.get_user_power_level(
                 requester.user.to_string(), auth_events

synapse/state/__init__.py

@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@
 
 _NEXT_STATE_ID = 1
 
+CREATE_KEY = (EventTypes.Create, "")
 POWER_KEY = (EventTypes.PowerLevels, "")