CVE-2018-13726 in ISeeVoiceToken
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for ISeeVoiceToken, 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 described in CVE-2018-13726 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of the ISeeVoiceToken smart contract deployed on the Ethereum blockchain. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and arithmetic handling within the contract's code, specifically affecting how the contract manages token minting operations. The flaw allows the contract owner to manipulate user balances arbitrarily, creating a fundamental security breach that undermines the integrity of the token economy. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous in decentralized finance applications where trustless transactions depend on predictable and secure contract behavior.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through an unchecked integer overflow condition within the mintToken function, which operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration classification of CWE-190 - Integer Overflow or Wraparound. When the contract processes token minting requests, it fails to validate that the resulting balance calculations remain within the bounds of the data type being used. This allows an attacker with owner privileges to craft malicious inputs that cause the arithmetic operations to wrap around, resulting in unintended balance values. The vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and demonstrates poor defensive programming practices in smart contract development.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple financial manipulation to encompass potential systemic risks within the token ecosystem. An attacker could theoretically set any user's balance to zero, create infinite balances, or manipulate the total supply in ways that could destabilize trading markets and undermine the token's utility. This vulnerability affects the core trust model of the Ethereum token system, where users rely on the immutability and predictability of contract operations. The ability to arbitrarily modify user balances creates a vector for both direct financial theft and potential market manipulation that could affect the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 - Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1499.004 - Endpoint Denial of Service, as it enables unauthorized control over token distribution and can potentially be used to disrupt normal contract operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate contract redeployment with proper input validation and overflow protection mechanisms. The implementation should incorporate explicit bounds checking and use safe arithmetic libraries that prevent integer overflows. Additionally, the contract should implement proper access controls and audit trails to detect unauthorized balance manipulations. Developers must adopt secure coding practices that include formal verification of critical functions and comprehensive testing with edge cases. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of third-party security audits and the need for continuous monitoring of smart contract deployments. Organizations should implement robust governance procedures that separate contract ownership from operational control and establish clear protocols for vulnerability disclosure and patch management. This case demonstrates the critical importance of adhering to established security frameworks and the necessity of thorough security reviews before deploying any smart contract to production environments.