CVE-2018-13572 in PGM_Coin
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for PGM_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 as CVE-2018-13572 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of PGM_Coin smart contract implementation on the Ethereum blockchain. 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 by exploiting the overflow condition, effectively enabling arbitrary balance manipulation for any user within the token ecosystem.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through the mintToken function's failure to properly validate or constrain integer values during balance updates. When the contract attempts to increment a user's balance through minting operations, the integer overflow occurs when the arithmetic operation exceeds the maximum value that can be represented by the underlying data type. This creates a scenario where the balance calculation wraps around to a smaller value, enabling the contract owner to set any user's balance to an arbitrary value, including potentially negative or extremely large numbers.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to the token ecosystem and its users. The contract owner can manipulate balances to create infinite token supply, drain funds from other users, or manipulate token distributions for personal gain. The impact extends beyond immediate financial loss as it undermines the fundamental trust in the smart contract's integrity and the blockchain's immutability principles. Users who hold PGM_Coin tokens face potential loss of their holdings and the complete erosion of confidence in the token's value and the underlying smart contract implementation.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, Integer Overflow or Wraparound, which specifically addresses issues where integer arithmetic operations produce results that exceed the maximum value representable by the data type. This flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, as the manipulation could potentially destabilize the token economy. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates characteristics of privilege escalation attacks where a contract owner with legitimate access exploits a flaw to gain unauthorized control over other users' assets. The security implications extend to potential exploitation through reentrancy attacks or other smart contract vulnerabilities that could compound the damage.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper input validation and integer boundary checks within the mintToken function to prevent arithmetic overflow conditions. The smart contract should utilize safe arithmetic libraries or implement explicit overflow checks before performing balance updates. Additionally, contract owners should consider implementing access controls and multi-signature requirements for critical functions to reduce the risk of unauthorized manipulation. Regular security auditing and formal verification of smart contracts can help identify similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in production environments, ensuring the integrity of token distributions and user balances within the Ethereum ecosystem.