CVE-2018-13086 in IADOWR Coin
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for IADOWR Coin (IAD), 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 vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-13086 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of the IADOWR Coin (IAD) smart contract deployed on the Ethereum blockchain. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and arithmetic operation handling within the contract's code, specifically affecting the token's minting mechanism that allows contract owners to create new tokens. The flaw enables malicious actors with owner privileges to manipulate token balances of arbitrary users by exploiting the integer overflow condition, potentially leading to unauthorized token distribution and financial loss for affected parties. The vulnerability manifests when the mintToken function processes token minting operations without proper bounds checking, allowing arithmetic operations to exceed maximum integer limits and wrap around to unexpected values.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which describes integer overflow and underflow conditions that occur when an integer operation produces a result that exceeds the maximum value that can be represented by the target data type. In Ethereum smart contracts, this typically occurs when unsigned integers exceed their maximum allowable value, causing the value to wrap around to zero or negative numbers depending on the specific implementation. The mintToken function fails to validate that the resulting token balance after minting operations remains within acceptable bounds, creating a scenario where an attacker can specify large values that, when added to existing balances, cause the integer arithmetic to overflow and produce unintended results. This specific implementation flaw allows for arbitrary balance manipulation rather than just simple overflow behavior.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple financial manipulation to encompass potential system compromise and loss of user trust in the token ecosystem. When contract owners can manipulate user balances to arbitrary values, they gain the ability to create unlimited tokens for themselves while potentially reducing other users' balances to zero or negative values. This creates a scenario where the fundamental economic model of the token is compromised, as the total supply becomes unpredictable and the value distribution becomes controllable by malicious actors. The vulnerability also introduces risks related to governance manipulation, as owners could potentially disable other users' tokens or create artificial scarcity by manipulating balances. Additionally, this flaw affects the token's utility within decentralized applications and exchanges that rely on accurate balance information for proper operation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate code review and patching of the affected smart contract implementation. The most effective remediation involves implementing proper input validation and bounds checking within the mintToken function to prevent arithmetic operations from exceeding maximum integer limits. Developers should employ safe arithmetic libraries or implement explicit overflow checks before performing token minting operations. The contract should validate that the resulting balance after minting does not exceed predefined maximum limits and implement proper error handling for invalid inputs. Security audits should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other functions that perform arithmetic operations, particularly those involving user-controlled inputs or owner privileges. Additionally, the principle of least privilege should be enforced by limiting owner capabilities and implementing multi-signature requirements for critical operations. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of adhering to security best practices in smart contract development and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.001 which covers privilege escalation through code injection and manipulation of system processes. Organizations should also implement continuous monitoring and automated testing protocols to identify similar vulnerabilities in deployed smart contracts and maintain updated security measures to protect against evolving attack vectors targeting blockchain-based systems.