CVE-2018-13544 in Numisma
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for Numisma, 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 as CVE-2018-13544 resides within the mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for the Numisma Ethereum token, representing a critical integer overflow flaw that fundamentally compromises the contract's integrity. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and arithmetic overflow handling within the token's minting mechanism, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate token balances arbitrarily. The flaw specifically affects the contract owner who can exploit this vulnerability to set any user's balance to an arbitrary value, effectively undermining the token's economic model and user trust. Such a vulnerability directly violates the fundamental principles of secure smart contract development and represents a classic example of improper integer handling in blockchain environments.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the mintToken function where integer overflow conditions are not properly checked before performing arithmetic operations on token balances. When the contract processes token minting operations, it fails to validate that the resulting balance values remain within acceptable numeric bounds, allowing an attacker with owner privileges to manipulate the underlying integer calculations. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow and underflow conditions, and is classified under the broader category of CWE-682, which encompasses incorrect use of arithmetic operations. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple balance manipulation as it fundamentally undermines the security assumptions of the token contract, potentially enabling unauthorized wealth creation or distribution manipulation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents severe implications for the Numisma token ecosystem and its users. The ability for the contract owner to arbitrarily set user balances creates opportunities for financial manipulation, potential theft of funds, and complete subversion of the token's intended economic distribution. The vulnerability's exploitation could lead to immediate financial losses for users, market instability, and loss of confidence in the entire token implementation. Additionally, this flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.001, which involves privilege escalation through the manipulation of system processes, as the contract owner can leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized control over user assets. The vulnerability also intersects with T1499.004, which involves data manipulation and corruption, as the token balances represent critical data elements that can be altered without proper authorization.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-13544 require immediate implementation of comprehensive input validation and integer overflow protection mechanisms within the smart contract. Developers must implement explicit bounds checking before any arithmetic operations on token balances, utilize safe arithmetic libraries, and employ formal verification techniques to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future implementations. The contract should incorporate require statements that validate input parameters and ensure that balance calculations remain within acceptable numerical ranges. Additionally, implementing proper access control measures and regular security audits can help identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-signature wallets for contract ownership and establishing robust monitoring systems to detect unauthorized balance manipulations. The vulnerability serves as a critical reminder of the importance of adhering to secure coding practices in blockchain development and the necessity of thorough security testing before deploying smart contracts to production environments.