CVE-2018-13074 in FIBToken
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for FIBToken (FIB), an Ethereum token, has an integer overflow that allows the owner of the contract to set the balance of an arbitrary user to any value.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2020
The CVE-2018-13074 vulnerability represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of the FIBToken smart contract implementation on the Ethereum blockchain. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and arithmetic handling within the contract's code, specifically affecting the token's minting mechanism. The flaw allows the contract owner to manipulate user balances by setting them to arbitrary values, fundamentally compromising the token's integrity and user fund security. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-190 as an integer overflow condition, where the contract fails to properly validate that arithmetic operations remain within acceptable numeric bounds. This particular implementation flaw demonstrates a classic security oversight in smart contract development where the developer did not implement proper overflow checks before performing balance updates.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple financial manipulation as it creates a fundamental trust breach within the token ecosystem. An attacker with owner privileges can arbitrarily increase or decrease any user's token balance, potentially leading to unlimited token creation or deliberate account depletion. This vulnerability directly enables several attack vectors including account manipulation, potential denial of service through balance exhaustion, and could facilitate fraudulent transactions. The implications are particularly severe because Ethereum smart contracts operate with immutable code once deployed, meaning that such vulnerabilities remain exploitable until the contract is replaced or patched. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.001 for privilege escalation and T1499.004 for data manipulation, as it allows for unauthorized modification of critical financial data within the decentralized application.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-13074 require immediate action from contract owners and developers to implement proper input validation and arithmetic overflow protection. The recommended approach involves adding explicit bounds checking before any arithmetic operations, utilizing safe math libraries such as OpenZeppelin's SafeMath, and implementing comprehensive testing procedures including formal verification methods. Contract owners should consider immediate redeployment of the token contract with proper overflow protections, while developers should adopt secure coding practices that include thorough code review processes and automated security scanning tools. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following Ethereum security best practices outlined in the Solidity documentation and emphasizes the need for comprehensive security audits before contract deployment. Organizations should implement monitoring systems to detect anomalous balance changes and maintain incident response procedures specifically tailored for smart contract vulnerabilities. Additionally, the community should adopt standardized security frameworks and conduct regular security assessments to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future token implementations.