CVE-2018-13612 in Robincoin
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for Robincoin, 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 • 02/28/2020
The vulnerability identified in CVE-2018-13612 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of Robincoin's Ethereum smart contract implementation. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and arithmetic operations that fail to account for boundary conditions in the underlying blockchain smart contract code. The flaw allows an attacker with contract ownership privileges to manipulate token balances by exploiting the overflow condition, effectively enabling arbitrary balance manipulation of any user within the token ecosystem.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow and unsigned integer overflow conditions in software implementations. In Ethereum smart contracts, such vulnerabilities occur when mathematical operations exceed the maximum value that can be represented by the data type used, causing the value to wrap around to zero or negative values. The mintToken function likely performs arithmetic operations without proper overflow checks, creating an exploitable condition where the owner can manipulate token supply and user balances through crafted inputs.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple balance manipulation, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of the token economy. An attacker with owner privileges can create unlimited tokens or set user balances to arbitrary values, potentially leading to massive financial losses for token holders and undermining trust in the entire token ecosystem. This vulnerability also enables potential denial of service attacks by setting user balances to zero or extremely high values, disrupting normal token operations and transactions within the Robincoin network.
The exploitability of this vulnerability is particularly concerning given that it requires only owner privileges to execute, which are typically limited to a small number of trusted individuals or entities. This makes the attack surface relatively small but potentially devastating, as the contract owner's private keys represent a single point of failure that can be compromised through various attack vectors including phishing, key management failures, or social engineering. The vulnerability also represents a significant risk in the context of the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques, where an attacker with legitimate access can leverage the flaw to gain unauthorized control over token distributions and user balances.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper input validation and boundary checking within the mintToken function to prevent integer overflow conditions. Smart contract developers must employ defensive programming practices including overflow checks, use of secure libraries such as OpenZeppelin's SafeMath, and comprehensive testing of all arithmetic operations. Additionally, contract owners should implement multi-signature wallets and regular security audits to reduce the risk of unauthorized access and exploitation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of adhering to established security standards and best practices in smart contract development, including the principle of least privilege and thorough code review processes. Regular security assessments and formal verification techniques should be employed to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in production environments.