CVE-2018-13587 in DECToken
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for DECToken, 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-2018-13587 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of DECToken smart contract implementation on the Ethereum blockchain. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and arithmetic handling within the token contract's code, creating a pathway for malicious exploitation that directly impacts the contract's integrity and user asset security. The flaw specifically manifests when the mintToken function processes token minting operations without proper overflow checks, allowing an attacker to manipulate the token supply mechanism. According to CWE-190, this vulnerability falls under integer overflow conditions where arithmetic operations exceed the maximum representable value for the data type, creating exploitable conditions that can be leveraged for unauthorized token manipulation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the contract owner or an attacker with access to the mintToken function can manipulate the token balance of any user account within the system. The integer overflow allows for the creation of arbitrary token values that can exceed normal balance limits, potentially enabling the owner to set any user's balance to an extremely high value or even negative values due to overflow behavior. This flaw directly violates the fundamental principles of blockchain tokenomics where each user's balance should be accurately tracked and secured. The vulnerability operates at the core level of the smart contract's arithmetic operations, where standard integer types are used without proper bounds checking or overflow protection mechanisms, making it susceptible to mathematical manipulation that can fundamentally alter the token distribution and user account balances.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple balance manipulation to potentially compromise the entire token ecosystem and user trust in the platform. An attacker with access to the contract owner privileges can arbitrarily inflate user balances, creating artificial wealth distribution that could be exploited for financial gain or used to destabilize the token economy. This vulnerability also affects the token's total supply calculations, as the overflow can result in incorrect accounting of issued tokens, potentially leading to double-spending scenarios or other economic distortions. The implications are particularly severe given that this affects Ethereum-based tokens, where the blockchain's immutable nature means such manipulations can have lasting consequences for all users and the overall token value. The vulnerability creates a direct pathway for privilege escalation attacks and can be classified under ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves exploiting legitimate credentials to gain system-level access.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-13587 require immediate implementation of comprehensive input validation and arithmetic overflow protection within the smart contract code. Developers should implement proper bounds checking and utilize safe arithmetic libraries that automatically detect and prevent overflow conditions during token minting operations. The recommended approach involves using established secure coding practices such as those outlined in the Ethereum Smart Contract Security Best Practices guidelines, which emphasize the importance of validating all input parameters and implementing robust error handling. Additionally, the contract should incorporate proper access controls and audit mechanisms to prevent unauthorized minting operations. Regular security audits and formal verification of smart contracts should be implemented to identify similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. The fix should include replacing vulnerable integer operations with checked arithmetic operations and ensuring that all token balance modifications are properly validated against acceptable ranges, thereby preventing the conditions that allow for arbitrary balance manipulation and maintaining the integrity of the token economy.