CVE-2018-13519 in DigitalCloudToken
Summary
by MITRE
The mint function of a smart contract implementation for DigitalCloudToken, 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.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-13519 resides within the DigitalCloudToken smart contract implementation on the Ethereum blockchain platform. This critical flaw manifests in the mint function, which serves as a mechanism for creating new tokens and distributing them to users. The vulnerability represents a classic integer overflow condition that fundamentally compromises the contract's ability to maintain accurate token balances and secure transaction processing. The flaw allows the contract owner to manipulate user balances beyond normal operational parameters, creating a severe security risk for all token holders and the overall ecosystem.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and arithmetic operation handling within the mint function. When the contract attempts to increment user balances during token minting operations, the system fails to properly validate whether the resulting value would exceed the maximum limit for the data type being used. This overflow condition occurs because the smart contract does not implement adequate checks to prevent arithmetic operations from exceeding the maximum value that can be represented by the underlying integer data type. The vulnerability is classified as a CWE-190 - Integer Overflow or Wraparound, which is a well-documented weakness in software systems that directly impacts blockchain smart contracts where financial assets are at stake.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple balance manipulation, creating cascading security risks throughout the DigitalCloudToken ecosystem. An attacker with owner privileges can arbitrarily set any user's balance to any desired value, potentially allowing for unlimited token creation, unauthorized fund transfers, or manipulation of token distribution mechanisms. This capability enables the contract owner to effectively bypass all normal tokenomics and governance controls, undermining the fundamental trust model that blockchain systems rely upon. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for financial loss, as users may find their balances unexpectedly altered or their tokens rendered worthless due to the manipulation of the underlying contract state.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate remediation through proper code review and implementation of defensive programming practices. The smart contract must be updated to include explicit overflow checks before any arithmetic operations that could potentially exceed data type limits. Implementing the safe math libraries recommended by the Ethereum community, such as OpenZeppelin's SafeMath implementation, provides a robust solution for preventing integer overflows. Additionally, comprehensive testing including formal verification methods should be employed to validate the contract's behavior under all possible input conditions. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper access control mechanisms and the necessity of external audits for smart contract implementations. Organizations should consider implementing multi-signature wallets for contract ownership and establish clear governance procedures to prevent single points of failure. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of adhering to established security frameworks and best practices in blockchain development, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's smart contract security domains where such flaws represent significant attack vectors for adversaries seeking to compromise decentralized applications and their underlying financial assets.