CVE-2018-13775 in RCKT_Coin
Summary
by MITRE
The mintToken function of a smart contract implementation for RCKT_Coin, 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 • 03/03/2020
The vulnerability identified in CVE-2018-13775 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the mintToken function of the RCKT_Coin Ethereum token smart contract implementation. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and arithmetic overflow handling in the contract's code execution flow. The flaw allows an attacker with owner privileges to manipulate token balances by setting arbitrary user balances to any desired value, effectively bypassing the normal token minting and distribution mechanisms. The vulnerability directly impacts the fundamental integrity of the token economy by enabling unauthorized balance manipulation that could lead to inflationary attacks or manipulation of token distributions.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow and unsigned integer overflow conditions. In the context of Ethereum smart contracts, this occurs when arithmetic operations exceed the maximum value that can be stored in the designated data type, causing the value to wrap around to zero or negative values. The mintToken function likely performs calculations without proper overflow checks, particularly when dealing with balance updates and token minting operations. This type of vulnerability is classified under the broader category of arithmetic errors in smart contract development and represents a common pattern in Solidity contracts where developers fail to implement proper overflow protection mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple balance manipulation to encompass potential financial losses and system integrity compromise. An attacker with owner access can increase any user's token balance to arbitrary values, potentially leading to massive inflation of the token supply or enabling the creation of artificial wealth positions. This vulnerability undermines the trust model of the token ecosystem and could result in significant economic disruption. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires only owner privileges, which are typically limited to trusted parties, but represents a critical flaw in access control implementation. The vulnerability also creates potential for denial of service scenarios if attackers manipulate balances to cause contract failures or unexpected behavior in dependent systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive overflow protection mechanisms throughout the smart contract codebase. The recommended approach includes utilizing SafeMath libraries or similar arithmetic protection mechanisms that automatically check for overflow conditions before performing operations. Additionally, implementing proper access control measures and conducting regular security audits can help identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in the codebase. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in the OWASP Secure Coding Practices and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.006 for smart contract exploitation. Organizations should implement continuous monitoring and code review processes to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future smart contract deployments, particularly focusing on arithmetic operations and balance management functions that handle user tokens.