Improve memory efficiency of seen cache (#1073)

libp2p/protocols/pubsub/floodsub.nim

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import ./pubsub,
        ./timedcache,
        ./peertable,
        ./rpc/[message, messages, protobuf],
+       nimcrypto/[hash, sha2],
        ../../crypto/crypto,
        ../../stream/connection,
        ../../peerid,
@@ -32,20 +33,29 @@ const FloodSubCodec* = "/floodsub/1.0.0"
 type
   FloodSub* {.public.} = ref object of PubSub
     floodsub*: PeerTable      # topic to remote peer map
-    seen*: TimedCache[MessageId] # message id:s already seen on the network
+    seen*: TimedCache[SaltedId]
-    seenSalt*: seq[byte]
+      # Early filter for messages recently observed on the network
+      # We use a salted id because the messages in this cache have not yet
+      # been validated meaning that an attacker has greater control over the
+      # hash key and therefore could poison the table
+    seenSalt*: sha256
+      # The salt in this case is a partially updated SHA256 context pre-seeded
+      # with some random data
 
-proc hasSeen*(f: FloodSub, msgId: MessageId): bool =
+proc salt*(f: FloodSub, msgId: MessageId): SaltedId =
-  f.seenSalt & msgId in f.seen
+  var tmp = f.seenSalt
+  tmp.update(msgId)
+  SaltedId(data: tmp.finish())
 
-proc addSeen*(f: FloodSub, msgId: MessageId): bool =
+proc hasSeen*(f: FloodSub, saltedId: SaltedId): bool =
-  # Salting the seen hash helps avoid attacks against the hash function used
+  saltedId in f.seen
-  # in the nim hash table
+
+proc addSeen*(f: FloodSub, saltedId: SaltedId): bool =
   # Return true if the message has already been seen
-  f.seen.put(f.seenSalt & msgId)
+  f.seen.put(saltedId)
 
-proc firstSeen*(f: FloodSub, msgId: MessageId): Moment =
+proc firstSeen*(f: FloodSub, saltedId: SaltedId): Moment =
-  f.seen.addedAt(f.seenSalt & msgId)
+  f.seen.addedAt(saltedId)
 
 proc handleSubscribe*(f: FloodSub,
                       peer: PubSubPeer,
@@ -117,9 +127,11 @@ method rpcHandler*(f: FloodSub,
       # TODO: descore peers due to error during message validation (malicious?)
       continue
 
-    let msgId = msgIdResult.get
+    let
+      msgId = msgIdResult.get
+      saltedId = f.salt(msgId)
 
-    if f.addSeen(msgId):
+    if f.addSeen(saltedId):
       trace "Dropping already-seen message", msgId, peer
       continue
 
@@ -216,7 +228,7 @@ method publish*(f: FloodSub,
   trace "Created new message",
     msg = shortLog(msg), peers = peers.len, topic, msgId
 
-  if f.addSeen(msgId):
+  if f.addSeen(f.salt(msgId)):
     # custom msgid providers might cause this
     trace "Dropping already-seen message", msgId, topic
     return 0
@@ -234,8 +246,11 @@ method publish*(f: FloodSub,
 method initPubSub*(f: FloodSub)
   {.raises: [InitializationError].} =
   procCall PubSub(f).initPubSub()
-  f.seen = TimedCache[MessageId].init(2.minutes)
+  f.seen = TimedCache[SaltedId].init(2.minutes)
-  f.seenSalt = newSeqUninitialized[byte](sizeof(Hash))
+  f.seenSalt.init()
-  hmacDrbgGenerate(f.rng[], f.seenSalt)
+
+  var tmp: array[32, byte]
+  hmacDrbgGenerate(f.rng[], tmp)
+  f.seenSalt.update(tmp)
 
   f.init()

libp2p/protocols/pubsub/gossipsub.nim

@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ proc handleControl(g: GossipSub, peer: PubSubPeer, control: ControlMessage) =
 
 proc validateAndRelay(g: GossipSub,
                       msg: Message,
-                      msgId, msgIdSalted: MessageId,
+                      msgId: MessageId, msgIdSalted: SaltedId,
                       peer: PubSubPeer) {.async.} =
   try:
     let validation = await g.validate(msg)
@@ -508,12 +508,12 @@ method rpcHandler*(g: GossipSub,
 
     let
       msgId = msgIdResult.get
-      msgIdSalted = msgId & g.seenSalt
+      msgIdSalted = g.salt(msgId)
       topic = msg.topic
 
     # addSeen adds salt to msgId to avoid
     # remote attacking the hash function
-    if g.addSeen(msgId):
+    if g.addSeen(msgIdSalted):
       trace "Dropping already-seen message", msgId = shortLog(msgId), peer
 
       var alreadyReceived = false
@@ -523,7 +523,7 @@ method rpcHandler*(g: GossipSub,
           alreadyReceived = true
 
       if not alreadyReceived:
-        let delay = Moment.now() - g.firstSeen(msgId)
+        let delay = Moment.now() - g.firstSeen(msgIdSalted)
         g.rewardDelivered(peer, topic, false, delay)
 
       libp2p_gossipsub_duplicate.inc()
@@ -690,7 +690,7 @@ method publish*(g: GossipSub,
 
   trace "Created new message", msg = shortLog(msg), peers = peers.len
 
-  if g.addSeen(msgId):
+  if g.addSeen(g.salt(msgId)):
     # custom msgid providers might cause this
     trace "Dropping already-seen message"
     return 0
@@ -779,7 +779,7 @@ method initPubSub*(g: GossipSub)
     raise newException(InitializationError, $validationRes.error)
 
   # init the floodsub stuff here, we customize timedcache in gossip!
-  g.seen = TimedCache[MessageId].init(g.parameters.seenTTL)
+  g.seen = TimedCache[SaltedId].init(g.parameters.seenTTL)
 
   # init gossip stuff
   g.mcache = MCache.init(g.parameters.historyGossip, g.parameters.historyLength)

libp2p/protocols/pubsub/gossipsub/behavior.nim

@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ proc handleIHave*(g: GossipSub,
         peer, topicID = ihave.topicID, msgs = ihave.messageIDs
       if ihave.topicID in g.topics:
         for msgId in ihave.messageIDs:
-          if not g.hasSeen(msgId):
+          if not g.hasSeen(g.salt(msgId)):
             if peer.iHaveBudget <= 0:
               break
             elif msgId notin res.messageIDs:

libp2p/protocols/pubsub/gossipsub/types.nim

@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ type
     maxNumElementsInNonPriorityQueue*: int
 
   BackoffTable* = Table[string, Table[PeerId, Moment]]
-  ValidationSeenTable* = Table[MessageId, HashSet[PubSubPeer]]
+  ValidationSeenTable* = Table[SaltedId, HashSet[PubSubPeer]]
 
   RoutingRecordsPair* = tuple[id: PeerId, record: Option[PeerRecord]]
   RoutingRecordsHandler* =

libp2p/protocols/pubsub/rpc/messages.nim

@@ -37,6 +37,12 @@ type
 
   MessageId* = seq[byte]
 
+  SaltedId* = object
+    # Salted hash of message ID - used instead of the ordinary message ID to
+    # avoid hash poisoning attacks and to make memory usage more predictable
+    # with respect to the variable-length message id
+    data*: MDigest[256]
+
   Message* = object
     fromPeer*: PeerId
     data*: seq[byte]

libp2p/protocols/pubsub/timedcache.nim

@@ -9,12 +9,13 @@
 
 {.push raises: [].}
 
-import std/[tables]
+import std/[hashes, sets]
-
 import chronos/timer, stew/results
 
 import ../../utility
 
+export results
+
 const Timeout* = 10.seconds # default timeout in ms
 
 type
@@ -26,20 +27,38 @@ type
 
   TimedCache*[K] = object of RootObj
     head, tail: TimedEntry[K] # nim linked list doesn't allow inserting at pos
-    entries: Table[K, TimedEntry[K]]
+    entries: HashSet[TimedEntry[K]]
     timeout: Duration
 
+func `==`*[E](a, b: TimedEntry[E]): bool =
+  if isNil(a) == isNil(b):
+    isNil(a) or a.key == b.key
+  else:
+    false
+
+func hash*(a: TimedEntry): Hash =
+  if isNil(a):
+    default(Hash)
+  else:
+    hash(a[].key)
+
 func expire*(t: var TimedCache, now: Moment = Moment.now()) =
   while t.head != nil and t.head.expiresAt < now:
-    t.entries.del(t.head.key)
+    t.entries.excl(t.head)
     t.head.prev = nil
     t.head = t.head.next
     if t.head == nil: t.tail = nil
 
 func del*[K](t: var TimedCache[K], key: K): Opt[TimedEntry[K]] =
   # Removes existing key from cache, returning the previous value if present
-  var item: TimedEntry[K]
+  let tmp = TimedEntry[K](key: key)
-  if t.entries.pop(key, item):
+  if tmp in t.entries:
+    let item = try:
+      t.entries[tmp] # use the shared instance in the set
+    except KeyError:
+      raiseAssert "just checked"
+    t.entries.excl(item)
+
     if t.head == item: t.head = item.next
     if t.tail == item: t.tail = item.prev
 
@@ -55,14 +74,14 @@ func put*[K](t: var TimedCache[K], k: K, now = Moment.now()): bool =
   # refreshed.
   t.expire(now)
 
-  var previous = t.del(k) # Refresh existing item
+  let
-
+    previous = t.del(k) # Refresh existing item
-  var addedAt = now
+    addedAt = if previous.isSome():
-  previous.withValue(previous):
+      previous[].addedAt
-    addedAt = previous.addedAt
+    else:
+      now
 
   let node = TimedEntry[K](key: k, addedAt: addedAt, expiresAt: now + t.timeout)
-
   if t.head == nil:
     t.tail = node
     t.head = t.tail
@@ -83,16 +102,24 @@ func put*[K](t: var TimedCache[K], k: K, now = Moment.now()): bool =
       if cur == t.tail:
         t.tail = node
 
-  t.entries[k] = node
+  t.entries.incl(node)
 
   previous.isSome()
 
 func contains*[K](t: TimedCache[K], k: K): bool =
-  k in t.entries
+  let tmp = TimedEntry[K](key: k)
+  tmp in t.entries
 
-func addedAt*[K](t: TimedCache[K], k: K): Moment =
+func addedAt*[K](t: var TimedCache[K], k: K): Moment =
-  t.entries.getOrDefault(k).addedAt
+  let tmp = TimedEntry[K](key: k)
+  try:
+    if tmp in t.entries: # raising is slow
+      # Use shared instance from entries
+      return t.entries[tmp][].addedAt
+  except KeyError:
+    raiseAssert "just checked"
 
+  default(Moment)
 
 func init*[K](T: type TimedCache[K], timeout: Duration = Timeout): T =
   T(

tests/pubsub/testgossipsub.nim

@@ -569,8 +569,8 @@ suite "GossipSub":
     proc slowValidator(topic: string, message: Message): Future[ValidationResult] {.async.} =
       await cRelayed
       # Empty A & C caches to detect duplicates
-      gossip1.seen = TimedCache[MessageId].init()
+      gossip1.seen = TimedCache[SaltedId].init()
-      gossip3.seen = TimedCache[MessageId].init()
+      gossip3.seen = TimedCache[SaltedId].init()
       let msgId = toSeq(gossip2.validationSeen.keys)[0]
       checkUntilTimeout(try: gossip2.validationSeen[msgId].len > 0 except: false)
       result = ValidationResult.Accept

tests/pubsub/testtimedcache.nim

@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ suite "TimedCache":
       2 in cache
       3 in cache
 
+      cache.addedAt(2) == now + 3.seconds
+
     check:
       cache.put(2, now + 7.seconds) # refreshes 2
       not cache.put(4, now + 12.seconds) # expires 3
@@ -33,6 +35,23 @@ suite "TimedCache":
       3 notin cache
       4 in cache
 
+    check:
+      cache.del(4).isSome()
+      4 notin cache
+
     check:
       not cache.put(100, now + 100.seconds) # expires everything
       100 in cache
+      2 notin cache
+
+  test "enough items to force cache heap storage growth":
+    var cache = TimedCache[int].init(5.seconds)
+
+    let now = Moment.now()
+    for i in 101..100000:
+      check:
+        not cache.put(i, now)
+
+    for i in 101..100000:
+      check:
+        i in cache