CVE-2018-13698 in Play2LivePromo
Summary
by MITRE
The mintTokens function of a smart contract implementation for Play2LivePromo, 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-2018-13698 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintTokens function of the Play2LivePromo Ethereum token smart contract. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and arithmetic handling within the contract's code, specifically when processing token minting operations. The flaw allows the contract owner to manipulate user balances beyond normal operational limits, creating a significant security risk that could be exploited for financial gain or contract manipulation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the mintTokens function processes token creation requests without proper bounds checking on integer values. In Ethereum smart contracts, integer overflows occur when arithmetic operations exceed the maximum value that can be stored in a given data type, causing the value to wrap around to zero or negative numbers. The specific flaw in Play2LivePromo's implementation allows the contract owner to leverage this behavior to set arbitrary user balances to any desired value, effectively bypassing normal token distribution mechanisms and creating unlimited token supply capabilities.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates multiple attack vectors that could severely impact the token ecosystem and user trust. The contract owner could potentially inflate user balances to extremely high values, enabling unauthorized token transfers or creating artificial scarcity in the market. The impact extends beyond immediate financial loss as it undermines the fundamental integrity of the token system, potentially leading to market manipulation and loss of investor confidence. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of secure smart contract development by allowing privileged account manipulation of core token parameters.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow and underflow conditions in software implementations, and demonstrates a clear path for exploitation through the contract owner's privileged access. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this represents a privilege escalation technique where the attacker leverages their position as contract owner to manipulate core system parameters. The exploitability of this vulnerability is high as it requires no external conditions beyond the owner's access rights and can be executed with minimal technical expertise once the contract address is known.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate contract auditing and potential hard forks to address the integer overflow conditions. The recommended approach involves implementing proper bounds checking on all integer arithmetic operations within the mintTokens function, utilizing SafeMath libraries or similar arithmetic protection mechanisms, and conducting comprehensive security audits before any contract deployment. Additionally, contract owners should implement proper access controls and consider using multi-signature wallets to reduce the risk of unauthorized manipulation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of adhering to established security standards and best practices in smart contract development, particularly regarding arithmetic operations and privilege management.