Incident: Cyberattack on Federal Reserve's Internal Website by Hackers.

Published Date: 2013-02-05

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident at the Federal Reserve internal website happened on the day the article was published, which was February 5, 2013. [Article 17073]
System 1. Internal Web site of the Federal Reserve system 2. Website vendor product used by the Federal Reserve system 3. Internal contact database for banks to use during natural disasters 4. Department of Energy's internal system
Responsible Organization 1. Hackers accessed the Federal Reserve's internal website by exploiting a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product, leading to the software failure incident [17073].
Impacted Organization 1. Federal Reserve [17073]
Software Causes 1. Exploitation of a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product [17073]
Non-software Causes 1. The hacking incident at the Federal Reserve was caused by exploiting a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product [17073].
Impacts 1. Data associated with specific individuals was accessed by the hackers, potentially compromising privacy and security [17073]. 2. The incident raised concerns about the security of U.S. infrastructure, including the power grid, water infrastructure, transportation systems, and financial networks [17073]. 3. The breach highlighted the vulnerability of U.S. financial institutions to cyberattacks, with McAfee warning that such attacks are likely to increase in the future [17073].
Preventions 1. Implementing regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify and patch potential weaknesses in the website vendor product [17073]. 2. Enhancing cybersecurity measures such as intrusion detection systems and firewalls to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data [17073]. 3. Educating employees on cybersecurity best practices to prevent social engineering attacks that could lead to breaches [17073]. 4. Implementing multi-factor authentication for accessing critical systems and data to add an extra layer of security [17073].
Fixes 1. Fixing the temporary vulnerability in the website vendor product that was exploited by the hackers [17073].
References 1. Federal Reserve spokeswoman [Article 17073] 2. Department of Energy [Article 17073] 3. Head of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano [Article 17073] 4. Security company McAfee [Article 17073] 5. Hacking group Anonymous [Article 17073]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization, multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: The Federal Reserve confirmed that one of its internal websites was hacked into due to exploiting a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product [17073]. This incident did not affect critical operations of the Federal Reserve system. Additionally, the Department of Energy also confirmed a breach in its internal system with employee data being stolen [17073]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: The article mentions that last week, hackers hit several U.S. media outlets, indicating that multiple organizations were targeted in cyberattacks [17073].
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the hacking incident at the Federal Reserve where a vulnerability in a website vendor product was exploited by hackers to access data associated with specific individuals. The article mentions that the Federal Reserve system was aware that information was obtained by exploiting a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product, indicating a failure in the design or development phase that introduced this vulnerability [17073]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be observed in the breach of the Department of Energy's internal system where employee data was stolen. This breach was a result of the operation or misuse of the system, leading to the unauthorized access and theft of sensitive information [17073].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system, outside_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident at the Federal Reserve was due to a vulnerability in a website vendor product that was exploited by hackers, leading to the breach of internal data associated with specific individuals [17073]. The exposure was fixed shortly after discovery, indicating that the vulnerability was within the system and was addressed internally.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in Article 17073 was due to non-human actions. The Federal Reserve confirmed that one of its internal websites was hacked into by exploiting a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product. The hackers accessed data associated with specific individuals, and the exposure was fixed shortly after discovery [17073].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident related to hardware: - The Federal Reserve confirmed that one of its internal websites was hacked into due to exploiting a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product, indicating a hardware-related vulnerability [17073]. (b) The software failure incident related to software: - The incident involved hackers exploiting a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product, indicating a software-related issue [17073].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) malicious (a) The software failure incident related to the hacking of the Federal Reserve's internal website is considered malicious. The incident involved high-level cyberattacks by hackers who exploited a vulnerability in a website vendor product to access data associated with specific individuals. The attack was part of a wave of cyberattacks targeting U.S. institutions, with the hacking group Anonymous claiming to have published login and private information from U.S. bank executive accounts, possibly obtained from the Federal Reserve's computers [17073]. The incident was characterized by intentional actions aimed at compromising the security and integrity of the system.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the hacking of the Federal Reserve's internal website was primarily due to poor decisions. The incident occurred due to exploiting a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product, indicating a lack of proper security measures or oversight in the selection and maintenance of the vendor product [17073]. Additionally, the incident was part of a wave of cyberattacks targeting U.S. institutions, highlighting the need for stronger cybersecurity measures and proactive defense strategies to prevent such breaches in the future.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, unknown (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as the Federal Reserve confirmed that one of its internal websites was hacked due to exploiting a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product [17073]. This vulnerability could have been a result of inadequate security measures or oversights during the development process, indicating a lack of professional competence in ensuring robust cybersecurity defenses. Additionally, the article mentions that the Department of Energy also experienced a breach in its internal system, leading to the theft of employee data, further highlighting potential weaknesses in the development and maintenance of secure software systems [17073]. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is not explicitly mentioned in the articles provided.
Duration temporary (a) The software failure incident in this case was temporary. The Federal Reserve confirmed that the information was obtained by exploiting a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product. The exposure was fixed shortly after discovery, and it was no longer an issue [17073].
Behaviour crash, omission, value, other (a) crash: The article reports a cyberattack on the Federal Reserve where hackers accessed data associated with specific individuals by exploiting a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product. The incident did not affect critical operations of the Federal Reserve system, indicating a crash where the system lost its state and did not perform its intended functions [17073]. (b) omission: The article mentions that the hackers accessed data associated with specific individuals, indicating that the system omitted to protect the privacy and security of this data [17073]. (c) timing: There is no specific mention of timing-related failures in the article. (d) value: The incident involved the hackers accessing data associated with specific individuals, suggesting a failure where the system performed its intended functions incorrectly by allowing unauthorized access to sensitive information [17073]. (e) byzantine: The article does not provide information about inconsistent responses or interactions by the system. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in this case could also be categorized as a security breach, where the system failed to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data, leading to a compromise of information security [17073].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property (d) Property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure. The software failure incident at the Federal Reserve involved a cyberattack where hackers accessed data associated with specific individuals. It was reported that the hackers may have obtained login and private information from more than 4,000 U.S. bank executive accounts, which could have been sourced from the Federal Reserve's computers [17073]. This indicates that the property in the form of sensitive data belonging to individuals and executives was impacted by the software failure incident.
Domain finance, government (a) The failed system was related to the finance industry as it involved a cyberattack on the Federal Reserve's internal website, which is a critical component of the U.S. financial system [17073]. The incident involved the hacking of a website vendor product used by the Federal Reserve, indicating a direct connection to financial operations [17073]. The hackers accessed data associated with specific individuals, possibly including U.S. bank executive accounts, highlighting the financial nature of the breach [17073]. The security company McAfee also warned about increasing attacks on U.S. financial institutions, emphasizing the significance of cybersecurity in the finance sector [17073].

Sources

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