CVE-2018-13718 in FuturXE
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for FuturXe, 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-2018-13718 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of the FuturXe Ethereum token smart contract implementation. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-190 category of integer overflow and under the ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for execution through smart contract manipulation. The flaw exists in the contract's token minting mechanism where the owner can manipulate the balance of any user account to arbitrary values, creating a fundamental security breach in the token economy.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and arithmetic operations within the mintToken function. When the contract attempts to increment token balances or perform arithmetic operations on token amounts, it fails to properly check for overflow conditions that could occur when dealing with large integer values. This allows an attacker with owner privileges to manipulate the internal state of the contract by specifying malicious values that cause the arithmetic to wrap around, resulting in unexpected balance values. The vulnerability specifically affects the token distribution mechanism and can be exploited to create unlimited tokens or manipulate user balances.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for the FuturXe token ecosystem. An attacker with owner access can arbitrarily inflate or deflate user balances, effectively allowing for the creation of unlimited tokens or the theft of existing token holdings. This compromises the integrity of the entire token economy and can lead to complete loss of value for token holders. The vulnerability undermines trust in the smart contract system and can result in significant financial losses for users who hold FuturXe tokens. Additionally, the exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to cascading effects within any decentralized applications or exchanges that rely on the FuturXe token.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate contract upgrades and comprehensive security auditing. The most effective approach involves implementing proper integer overflow checks using modern Solidity versions that include built-in overflow protection mechanisms. Developers should utilize SafeMath libraries or similar arithmetic libraries that prevent overflow conditions through explicit bounds checking. The contract owner should also implement proper access controls and audit trails to monitor any token minting operations. Regular security audits and formal verification of smart contracts are essential to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in future implementations. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-signature wallets for contract ownership to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to privileged functions. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to established smart contract security standards such as those outlined in the Ethereum Smart Contract Security Best Practices documentation.