CVE-2018-13531 in MaxHouse
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for MaxHouse, 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-2018-13531 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of the MaxHouse Ethereum token smart contract implementation. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and arithmetic handling within the contract's codebase, creating a scenario where the contract owner can manipulate user balances arbitrarily. The issue manifests when the mintToken function processes token minting operations without adequate overflow checks, allowing malicious or unauthorized manipulation of the token distribution mechanism.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of integer values during the mintToken function execution. When the contract attempts to increment a user's balance through token minting operations, the lack of overflow protection enables the owner to specify any arbitrary balance value for target users. This flaw directly maps to CWE-190, which describes integer overflow conditions where an integer value exceeds the maximum representable value for its data type, leading to unexpected behavior. The vulnerability essentially allows the contract owner to bypass normal token distribution mechanisms and directly control user account balances, creating a fundamental breach in the token's integrity and user trust.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple balance manipulation, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the MaxHouse token ecosystem. An attacker with access to the contract owner's private key can arbitrarily inflate user balances, potentially leading to token value manipulation, market disruption, and loss of user funds. The vulnerability also creates potential for denial of service attacks where malicious actors could set user balances to zero or extremely high values, effectively corrupting the token ledger. This weakness directly enables techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and data manipulation tactics, where adversaries can modify system state to achieve unauthorized access or control over resources.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-13531 require immediate implementation of proper integer overflow protections within the smart contract codebase. The mintToken function must incorporate comprehensive input validation and arithmetic boundary checks to prevent overflow conditions. Security patches should include the use of safe math libraries or explicit overflow detection mechanisms that verify arithmetic operations before execution. Additionally, the contract owner should implement proper access controls and audit logging to monitor balance modifications. The vulnerability highlights the importance of adhering to secure coding practices as outlined in the Solidity security guidelines and emphasizes the necessity of thorough smart contract auditing before deployment. Organizations should consider implementing multi-signature wallets for contract ownership and establish regular security assessment protocols to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities across their token implementations.