CVE-2018-13191 in Super Carbon Coin
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for Super Carbon Coin (SCC), 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-2018-13191 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of the Super Carbon Coin smart contract implementation on the Ethereum blockchain. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and arithmetic handling within the contract's code, specifically affecting how the contract manages token minting operations. The flaw allows the contract owner to manipulate user balances beyond normal operational parameters, creating a fundamental security breach in the token's economic model. The integer overflow occurs when the contract attempts to increment token balances without proper bounds checking, enabling arbitrary value assignment to user accounts.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-190, which describes integer overflow conditions that can lead to unexpected behavior in software systems. The flaw manifests when the mintToken function processes token creation requests, where the contract owner can exploit the lack of overflow detection to manipulate the total supply and individual user balances. The vulnerability exists because the contract's arithmetic operations do not validate whether the resulting values exceed the maximum limits of the data types used for storing token balances. This creates a scenario where the owner can essentially mint unlimited tokens for themselves or other users, potentially leading to complete economic control over the token ecosystem.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple financial manipulation to encompass fundamental trust issues within the token's ecosystem. An attacker with owner privileges can manipulate user balances to create artificial wealth distribution or completely drain the system's resources. This flaw undermines the core principles of blockchain-based token economics, where transparency and immutability are paramount. The vulnerability also presents significant risks for any applications or services built on top of this token, as they may make decisions based on corrupted balance data. Additionally, the exploit can lead to potential loss of funds for other users who may have entrusted their tokens to the contract, creating cascading effects throughout the token's usage ecosystem.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper input validation and arithmetic bounds checking within the smart contract code. The recommended approach involves implementing overflow protection mechanisms such as require statements that validate calculated values against maximum limits before performing arithmetic operations. The contract should enforce strict bounds checking on all token minting operations and implement proper access controls to prevent unauthorized manipulation of user balances. Security audits should be conducted to identify similar patterns throughout the contract codebase, as integer overflows are a common class of vulnerabilities in smart contracts. Organizations should also consider implementing automated testing frameworks that specifically target arithmetic overflow conditions and ensure that all mathematical operations within smart contracts include appropriate safety checks. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of thorough security reviews and adherence to established smart contract security best practices, as outlined in industry standards such as the Ethereum Smart Contract Security Best Practices document and the OWASP Smart Contract Security Verification Standard.