CVE-2018-13528 in DhaCoin
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for DhaCoin, 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 • 02/27/2020
The vulnerability identified in CVE-2018-13528 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of the DhaCoin Ethereum token smart contract implementation. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and arithmetic operations that fail to account for the maximum limits of integer data types. The flaw allows the contract owner to manipulate token balances of arbitrary users by exploiting the overflow condition, creating a fundamental security breach in the tokenomics of the DhaCoin system. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-191, which specifically addresses integer underflow and overflow conditions, and falls under the broader category of CWE-682, which encompasses incorrect arithmetic operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the mintToken function where the contract owner can manipulate the token supply and user balances by leveraging integer overflow conditions. When the mintToken function processes token minting operations, it fails to properly validate or constrain the arithmetic operations that could result in integer overflow, allowing an attacker with owner privileges to set any user's balance to an arbitrary value. This creates a scenario where the owner can either inflate or deflate user balances beyond the intended tokenomics, potentially leading to massive value manipulation and undermining the integrity of the entire token ecosystem.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple balance manipulation to encompass potential financial loss, market manipulation, and complete compromise of the token's economic model. An attacker with owner access can create an unlimited supply of tokens for specific users, effectively causing inflation that devalues all other tokens in circulation. Additionally, the vulnerability can be exploited to zero out user balances or set them to negative values, which could disrupt trading operations and create denial of service conditions for legitimate users. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001, which involves the use of command and control protocols, as the compromised owner privileges can be leveraged to execute malicious operations within the smart contract environment.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper input validation and integer overflow protection mechanisms. Smart contract developers must implement comprehensive bounds checking and use safe arithmetic operations that prevent overflow conditions from occurring. The recommended approach includes utilizing established libraries and frameworks that provide overflow protection, such as OpenZeppelin's SafeMath library, which implements checked arithmetic operations that revert transactions when overflow conditions are detected. Additionally, contract owners should implement proper access control mechanisms and consider using multi-signature wallets for critical operations. Regular security audits and formal verification of smart contracts should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of adhering to secure coding practices in blockchain environments where financial assets are at stake, as even minor arithmetic flaws can result in catastrophic financial consequences for all users of the affected system.