CVE-2018-13741 in ABLGenesisToken
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for ABLGenesisToken, 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 • 04/05/2023
The vulnerability identified in CVE-2018-13741 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of the ABLGenesisToken smart contract deployed on the Ethereum blockchain. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and arithmetic operations that fail to account for the maximum limits of integer data types. The flaw allows the contract owner to manipulate token balances beyond normal operational parameters, creating a potential pathway for unauthorized value manipulation. The issue manifests when the mintToken function processes token minting operations without adequate overflow checks, enabling malicious actors with owner privileges to exploit the contract's arithmetic handling.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic integer overflow condition where the addition operation in the mintToken function does not properly validate whether the resulting value exceeds the maximum capacity of the underlying integer type. This flaw directly maps to CWE-190, Integer Overflow or Wraparound, which specifically addresses situations where arithmetic operations produce results that exceed the maximum value representable by the data type. The vulnerability exists within the contract's core token management logic, where the owner can manipulate user balances through crafted inputs that trigger the overflow condition, effectively bypassing normal balance validation mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple balance manipulation to encompass potential financial loss and contract integrity compromise. An attacker with owner privileges can arbitrarily set any user's token balance to any desired value, including potentially infinite balances or negative values that could disrupt the entire token economy. This capability undermines the fundamental trust model of the token system and creates opportunities for theft of funds from other users. The vulnerability affects the token's supply mechanism and user account management, potentially enabling the creation of unlimited tokens or the manipulation of token distribution across the network. The implications for smart contract security are significant as this flaw demonstrates how seemingly minor arithmetic validation errors can lead to complete system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper integer overflow protections within the smart contract code. The recommended approach involves adding explicit overflow checks before any arithmetic operations in the mintToken function, utilizing modern Solidity practices such as SafeMath libraries or explicit boundary validation. The contract owner should implement comprehensive input validation that verifies all balance updates against maximum integer limits and employs require statements to prevent execution when overflow conditions are detected. Additionally, the contract should undergo thorough security auditing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other arithmetic operations, as this type of flaw often appears in multiple locations within complex smart contracts. Organizations should also consider implementing access control restrictions and multi-signature requirements for owner privileges to reduce the attack surface. This vulnerability highlights the importance of adhering to established security frameworks and best practices such as those recommended by the OpenZeppelin security guidelines and the Ethereum Smart Contract Best Practices recommendations, which emphasize the critical need for robust input validation and arithmetic operation safety in blockchain applications.