CVE-2018-13557 in Trabet_Coin
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for Trabet_Coin, 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-2018-13557 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of the Trabet_Coin Ethereum token smart contract implementation. This vulnerability resides in the contract's token minting mechanism where the owner can manipulate user balances through improper integer handling. The flaw allows for arbitrary balance manipulation that fundamentally compromises the integrity of the token economy and user account management within the smart contract ecosystem.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and arithmetic operations within the mintToken function. When the contract processes token minting operations, it fails to properly validate or constrain integer values during balance calculations, creating an environment where integer overflow conditions can be exploited. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow and underflow conditions in software implementations. The vulnerability allows an attacker with owner privileges to bypass normal token distribution mechanisms and directly manipulate user account balances to arbitrary values.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple balance manipulation and represents a fundamental threat to the token's economic model and user trust. An attacker with owner access can inflate or deflate user balances at will, potentially creating artificial scarcity, manipulating market prices, or executing fraudulent transactions. This vulnerability undermines the core principles of blockchain-based token systems where transparency and immutability are essential. The consequences include potential financial losses for users, market manipulation opportunities, and complete erosion of confidence in the token's integrity. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for sophisticated attacks such as sandwich attacks, where an attacker manipulates token prices through balance manipulation before and after legitimate transactions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate contract redeployment with proper integer overflow protections and comprehensive code auditing. The recommended approach involves implementing explicit bounds checking, using safe arithmetic libraries such as OpenZeppelin's SafeMath, and conducting thorough security reviews before any production deployment. Organizations should implement proper access controls and consider multi-signature ownership models to reduce the risk of single points of failure. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding practices in smart contract development and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.001 which addresses privilege escalation through code injection and manipulation. The incident underscores the necessity of adhering to established security frameworks and conducting regular security assessments to prevent similar vulnerabilities from compromising blockchain-based financial systems.