CVE-2018-13699 in DestiNeed
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for DestiNeed (DSN), 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-2018-13699 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of the DestiNeed (DSN) Ethereum token smart contract implementation. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and arithmetic overflow handling within the contract's code, creating a scenario where the contract owner can manipulate user balances arbitrarily. The flaw exists at the core of the token's issuance mechanism, where the mintToken function fails to properly validate or constrain the values being processed during balance updates, leading to potential manipulation of the token distribution system.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow and underflow conditions in software implementations. In the context of Ethereum smart contracts, this vulnerability manifests when the mintToken function processes user input values that exceed the maximum capacity of the data types used to store token balances. When such overflow occurs, the system wraps around to unexpected values, allowing the contract owner to manipulate the balance of any user account to arbitrary values. This creates a fundamental breach in the token's integrity and can result in unlimited token generation or manipulation of user holdings.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple balance manipulation, as it fundamentally compromises the security model of the DestiNeed token ecosystem. An attacker with access to the contract owner account can arbitrarily inflate user balances, potentially leading to massive inflation of the token supply or manipulation of trading dynamics. The vulnerability also enables potential denial of service scenarios where user balances could be set to zero or other unintended values, effectively freezing user tokens. This type of flaw directly violates the principles of decentralized finance applications where trustless and predictable token behavior is essential for user confidence and system integrity.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper integer overflow protections within the smart contract code. The mintToken function must incorporate comprehensive input validation, including bounds checking and explicit overflow detection mechanisms before any arithmetic operations are performed. Additionally, developers should implement proper access controls and audit trails to monitor contract owner activities. The solution should also include comprehensive testing procedures that specifically target integer overflow scenarios and edge cases. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding practices in blockchain environments, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework for smart contract security, where such flaws can be exploited to gain unauthorized control over critical system functions. The incident underscores the necessity for thorough security auditing of smart contracts before deployment and the implementation of formal verification techniques to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future token implementations.