CVE-2018-13180 in IMM Coin
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for IMM Coin (IMC), 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 • 02/25/2020
The vulnerability identified in CVE-2018-13180 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of the IMM Coin (IMC) smart contract deployed on the Ethereum blockchain. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and arithmetic overflow handling within the contract's token minting mechanism, creating a fundamental security weakness that directly impacts the contract's integrity and user asset management capabilities. The flaw allows the contract owner to manipulate user balances arbitrarily, fundamentally undermining the trustless nature of blockchain-based token systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through improper handling of integer arithmetic operations within the mintToken function. When the contract attempts to increment user balances or perform token minting calculations, the system fails to validate that the resulting values remain within the bounds of the integer data types used. This creates a scenario where mathematical operations can wrap around and produce unexpected values, enabling the contract owner to manipulate the balance of any user account to an arbitrary value. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, Integer Overflow or Wraparound, which specifically addresses the improper handling of integer arithmetic operations that can result in unexpected behavior and security exploits.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple balance manipulation, as it fundamentally compromises the security model of the IMM Coin token ecosystem. An attacker with owner privileges can increase any user's balance to an arbitrarily large value, potentially leading to massive inflation of the token supply, unauthorized fund transfers, or complete control over user accounts. This vulnerability undermines the core principles of blockchain security including immutability and trustless execution, as it allows the contract owner to override the normal rules governing token distribution and user account management. The implications are particularly severe given that token owners often have significant control over the smart contract functionality and can execute these malicious operations without detection.
The attack vector for this vulnerability is particularly concerning as it requires minimal technical expertise beyond basic understanding of smart contract ownership and token manipulation. The contract owner can simply invoke the mintToken function with carefully crafted parameters to manipulate user balances, making this exploit accessible to malicious actors who gain access to owner privileges. This vulnerability also connects to several ATT&CK techniques including T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1548 Abuse of Cloud Infrastructure, as it can be leveraged to manipulate user accounts and potentially gain unauthorized access to token holdings. Organizations and users should implement immediate mitigations including thorough code audits, proper access controls, and regular security assessments of smart contract implementations. The vulnerability underscores the importance of rigorous input validation and integer overflow protection in blockchain smart contracts, emphasizing that even minor implementation flaws can have catastrophic consequences for token security and user trust.