CVE-2019-25157 in Contracts
Summary
by MITRE • 12/19/2023
A vulnerability was found in Ethex Contracts. It has been classified as critical. This affects an unknown part of the file EthexJackpot.sol of the component Monthly Jackpot Handler. The manipulation leads to improper access controls. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. This product does not use versioning. This is why information about affected and unaffected releases are unavailable. The patch is named 6b8664b698d3d953e16c284fadc6caeb9e58e3db. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. The associated identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-248271.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-25157 represents a critical access control flaw within the Ethex Contracts platform, specifically within the Monthly Jackpot Handler component. This issue resides in the EthexJackpot.sol smart contract file where improper access controls have been implemented, creating a significant security risk for the entire system. The vulnerability's classification as critical indicates that it could be exploited to gain unauthorized access to sensitive functionality or resources within the smart contract ecosystem. The absence of versioning in the affected product complicates the identification of specific vulnerable releases, making it difficult for organizations to determine their exposure level and implement appropriate remediation strategies. The vulnerability's remote exploitation capability means that attackers can initiate the attack from external networks without requiring physical access to the system, significantly expanding the potential attack surface and threat landscape.
The technical flaw manifests as improper access controls that allow unauthorized parties to manipulate the jackpot handling functionality within the Ethex system. This type of vulnerability directly maps to CWE-284, which describes improper access control vulnerabilities where the system fails to properly enforce access restrictions on resources or functionality. The vulnerability's nature suggests that the smart contract lacks proper authorization checks or uses inadequate access control mechanisms that do not adequately verify the identity or privileges of entities attempting to interact with the jackpot handler component. The exploitation of this vulnerability could potentially allow attackers to manipulate jackpot distributions, withdraw funds improperly, or otherwise compromise the integrity of the prize distribution system. The lack of versioning information makes it challenging to establish a clear timeline of when this vulnerability was introduced or fixed, which is particularly concerning for blockchain systems where audit trails and version control are critical for security assessments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple financial loss to encompass potential system compromise and reputational damage for the Ethex platform. Remote exploitation capabilities mean that attackers could potentially drain jackpot funds or manipulate prize distributions without detection, leading to significant financial losses and undermining user trust in the platform's integrity. The vulnerability's presence in the jackpot handler component suggests that it could affect the entire prize distribution mechanism, potentially allowing unauthorized users to claim jackpots or manipulate the system's financial flows. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving privilege escalation and resource hijacking, where adversaries can exploit weak access controls to gain unauthorized access to valuable system resources. The lack of patch information beyond the specific commit hash 6b8664b698d3d953e16c284fadc6caeb9e58e3db indicates that the fix was implemented through a specific code change rather than a formal release cycle, which may complicate verification efforts for system administrators.
Organizations utilizing Ethex Contracts should immediately implement the recommended patch identified by the commit hash 6b8664b698d3d953e16c284fadc6caeb9e58e3db to remediate this critical vulnerability. Given the remote exploitability and the critical classification, proactive patch management is essential to prevent potential exploitation. Security teams should conduct thorough code reviews of the affected smart contracts to ensure that no similar access control flaws exist in other components of the Ethex platform. The vulnerability's presence in a financial system component highlights the importance of implementing robust security controls and regular audits for smart contract deployments. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect anomalous behavior in their smart contract systems and establish incident response procedures specifically tailored to blockchain security incidents. The lack of versioning information emphasizes the need for comprehensive asset inventory management and continuous monitoring of smart contract deployments to maintain visibility into potential security risks.