The ERC20.approve() function returns a boolean value indicating success.
This parameter needs to be checked for success.
Some tokens do not revert if the transfer failed but return false instead.
In addition, some tokens (like USDT L199) do not work when changing the allowance from an existing non-zero allowance value.
They must first be approved by zero and then the actual allowance must be approved.
Tokens that don't correctly implement the latest EIP20 spec, by either returning false on failure or reverting if approved from a non-zero value, will be unusable in the protocol as they revert the transaction because of the missing return value.
Recommended Mitigation Steps
We recommend using OpenZeppelin’s SafeERC20 versions with the safeApprove(0) functions that handle the return value check as well as non-standard-compliant tokens.
Handle
cmichel
Vulnerability details
The
ERC20.approve()
function returns a boolean value indicating success. This parameter needs to be checked for success. Some tokens do not revert if the transfer failed but returnfalse
instead.In addition, some tokens (like USDT L199) do not work when changing the allowance from an existing non-zero allowance value. They must first be approved by zero and then the actual allowance must be approved.
This issue exists for example in
AuctionParticipant.purchaseArbitrageTokens
:As well as in
UniswapHandler.buyMalt
:Impact
Tokens that don't correctly implement the latest EIP20 spec, by either returning
false
on failure or reverting if approved from a non-zero value, will be unusable in the protocol as they revert the transaction because of the missing return value.Recommended Mitigation Steps
We recommend using OpenZeppelin’s
SafeERC20
versions with thesafeApprove(0)
functions that handle the return value check as well as non-standard-compliant tokens.