Do not assume that m.ignored_user_list data is of the correct form.

changelog.d/8454.bugfix

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Fix a longstanding bug where invalid ignored users in account data could break clients.

synapse/api/constants.py

@@ -155,3 +155,8 @@ class EventContentFields:
 class RoomEncryptionAlgorithms:
     MEGOLM_V1_AES_SHA2 = "m.megolm.v1.aes-sha2"
     DEFAULT = MEGOLM_V1_AES_SHA2
+
+
+class AccountDataTypes:
+    DIRECT = "m.direct"
+    IGNORED_USER_LIST = "m.ignored_user_list"

synapse/handlers/room_member.py

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 from unpaddedbase64 import encode_base64
 
 from synapse import types
-from synapse.api.constants import MAX_DEPTH, EventTypes, Membership
+from synapse.api.constants import MAX_DEPTH, AccountDataTypes, EventTypes, Membership
 from synapse.api.errors import (
     AuthError,
     Codes,
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ async def copy_room_tags_and_direct_to_room(
         user_account_data, _ = await self.store.get_account_data_for_user(user_id)
 
         # Copy direct message state if applicable
-        direct_rooms = user_account_data.get("m.direct", {})
+        direct_rooms = user_account_data.get(AccountDataTypes.DIRECT, {})
 
         # Check which key this room is under
         if isinstance(direct_rooms, dict):
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ async def copy_room_tags_and_direct_to_room(
 
                     # Save back to user's m.direct account data
                     await self.store.add_account_data_for_user(
-                        user_id, "m.direct", direct_rooms
+                        user_id, AccountDataTypes.DIRECT, direct_rooms
                     )
                     break
 

synapse/handlers/sync.py

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 import attr
 from prometheus_client import Counter
 
-from synapse.api.constants import EventTypes, Membership
+from synapse.api.constants import AccountDataTypes, EventTypes, Membership
 from synapse.api.filtering import FilterCollection
 from synapse.events import EventBase
 from synapse.logging.context import current_context
@@ -1378,13 +1378,16 @@ async def _generate_sync_entry_for_rooms(
                         return set(), set(), set(), set()
 
         ignored_account_data = await self.store.get_global_account_data_by_type_for_user(
-            "m.ignored_user_list", user_id=user_id
+            AccountDataTypes.IGNORED_USER_LIST, user_id=user_id
         )
 
+        # If there is ignored users account data and it matches the proper type,
+        # then use it.
+        ignored_users = frozenset()  # type: FrozenSet[str]
         if ignored_account_data:
-            ignored_users = ignored_account_data.get("ignored_users", {}).keys()
-        else:
-            ignored_users = frozenset()
+            ignored_users_data = ignored_account_data.get("ignored_users", {})
+            if isinstance(ignored_users_data, dict):
+                ignored_users = frozenset(ignored_users_data.keys())
 
         if since_token:
             room_changes = await self._get_rooms_changed(
@@ -1478,7 +1481,7 @@ async def _have_rooms_changed(
         return False
 
     async def _get_rooms_changed(
-        self, sync_result_builder: "SyncResultBuilder", ignored_users: Set[str]
+        self, sync_result_builder: "SyncResultBuilder", ignored_users: FrozenSet[str]
     ) -> _RoomChanges:
         """Gets the the changes that have happened since the last sync.
         """
@@ -1690,7 +1693,7 @@ async def _get_rooms_changed(
         return _RoomChanges(room_entries, invited, newly_joined_rooms, newly_left_rooms)
 
     async def _get_all_rooms(
-        self, sync_result_builder: "SyncResultBuilder", ignored_users: Set[str]
+        self, sync_result_builder: "SyncResultBuilder", ignored_users: FrozenSet[str]
     ) -> _RoomChanges:
         """Returns entries for all rooms for the user.
 
@@ -1764,7 +1767,7 @@ async def _get_all_rooms(
     async def _generate_room_entry(
         self,
         sync_result_builder: "SyncResultBuilder",
-        ignored_users: Set[str],
+        ignored_users: FrozenSet[str],
         room_builder: "RoomSyncResultBuilder",
         ephemeral: List[JsonDict],
         tags: Optional[Dict[str, Dict[str, Any]]],

synapse/storage/databases/main/account_data.py

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 import logging
 from typing import Dict, List, Optional, Tuple
 
+from synapse.api.constants import AccountDataTypes
 from synapse.storage._base import SQLBaseStore, db_to_json
 from synapse.storage.database import DatabasePool
 from synapse.storage.util.id_generators import StreamIdGenerator
@@ -291,14 +292,18 @@ async def is_ignored_by(
         self, ignored_user_id: str, ignorer_user_id: str, cache_context: _CacheContext
     ) -> bool:
         ignored_account_data = await self.get_global_account_data_by_type_for_user(
-            "m.ignored_user_list",
+            AccountDataTypes.IGNORED_USER_LIST,
             ignorer_user_id,
             on_invalidate=cache_context.invalidate,
         )
         if not ignored_account_data:
             return False
 
-        return ignored_user_id in ignored_account_data.get("ignored_users", {})
+        try:
+            return ignored_user_id in ignored_account_data.get("ignored_users", {})
+        except TypeError:
+            # The type of the ignored_users field is invalid.
+            return False
 
 
 class AccountDataStore(AccountDataWorkerStore):

synapse/visibility.py

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 import logging
 import operator
 
-from synapse.api.constants import EventTypes, Membership
+from synapse.api.constants import AccountDataTypes, EventTypes, Membership
 from synapse.events.utils import prune_event
 from synapse.storage import Storage
 from synapse.storage.state import StateFilter
@@ -77,15 +77,14 @@ async def filter_events_for_client(
     )
 
     ignore_dict_content = await storage.main.get_global_account_data_by_type_for_user(
-        "m.ignored_user_list", user_id
+        AccountDataTypes.IGNORED_USER_LIST, user_id
     )
 
-    # FIXME: This will explode if people upload something incorrect.
-    ignore_list = frozenset(
-        ignore_dict_content.get("ignored_users", {}).keys()
-        if ignore_dict_content
-        else []
-    )
+    ignore_list = frozenset()
+    if ignore_dict_content:
+        ignored_users_dict = ignore_dict_content.get("ignored_users", {})
+        if isinstance(ignored_users_dict, dict):
+            ignore_list = frozenset(ignored_users_dict.keys())
 
     erased_senders = await storage.main.are_users_erased((e.sender for e in events))