| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The Syrian Electronic Army, known for its hacking activities, has targeted various organizations in the past. In addition to the attack on Forbes mentioned in the article, the group has hacked into Viber's database, hijacked a Thomson Reuters Twitter feed, targeted the Onion and BBC Twitter accounts, and also breached several Microsoft Twitter accounts [24522].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
There is no specific mention in the provided article about the Syrian Electronic Army targeting multiple organizations in the context of software failure incidents. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is primarily related to the design phase. The incident occurred due to a hack by the Syrian Electronic Army on Forbes' website, where they were able to steal user data and post fake stories. The hacking group exploited vulnerabilities in the Forbes.com website's Wordpress-based backend, indicating a failure in the design and security measures of the system [24522].
(b) Additionally, there is an aspect of operation-related failure mentioned in the article. Forbes advised its readers and contributors to change their passwords as a precaution, indicating that there was a concern about the operation or misuse of the system leading to potential security breaches [24522]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident, in this case, was caused by a hack carried out by the Syrian Electronic Army targeting Forbes' website. The hacking group was able to breach the Forbes publishing platform, steal user data, and post fake stories on the website [24522]. The attack originated from within the system, indicating a failure within Forbes' security measures and defenses against external threats. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions, specifically a cyberattack by the Syrian Electronic Army. The hacking group targeted Forbes' website, gaining unauthorized access to the Wordpress-based backend and stealing user data, including over 1 million user emails and passwords [24522]. This incident was not caused by any direct human error but rather by external malicious actors exploiting vulnerabilities in the system.
(b) Human actions also played a role in this software failure incident. Forbes acknowledged the hack and advised users to change their passwords as a precautionary measure. The company took responsibility for the breach, notifying law enforcement and issuing a security message to its readers and contributors [24522]. Additionally, the Syrian Electronic Army, as a human group, carried out the attack based on their beliefs and motivations related to Forbes' content about Syria [24522]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is primarily due to software-related factors. The Syrian Electronic Army hacked into Forbes' website, compromising the publishing platform and stealing user data [24522]. This incident involved exploiting vulnerabilities in the software system, such as the Wordpress-based backend of the Forbes.com website, to gain unauthorized access and steal user information.
(b) The software failure incident is not attributed to hardware-related factors but rather to software-related vulnerabilities and security breaches orchestrated by the hacking group [24522]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is malicious. The Syrian Electronic Army attacked Forbes, stealing user data and posting fake stories on the website with the intent to harm the system [24522]. The hacking group successfully stole over 1 million user emails and passwords, demonstrating a deliberate act to compromise the security and integrity of Forbes' platform. Additionally, the SEA's spokesperson mentioned that the attacks were motivated by their belief that Forbes' "hate for Syria is very clear and flagrant in their articles," indicating a targeted and intentional malicious action [24522]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was related to poor_decisions. The Syrian Electronic Army targeted Forbes in response to what they perceived as Forbes' "hate for Syria" evident in their articles. The hacking group stole user data, including over 1 million user emails and passwords, and posted fake stories on the Forbes website [24522]. This attack was a deliberate action taken by the Syrian Electronic Army as a form of retaliation or protest against Forbes' content. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was not due to development incompetence but rather a deliberate attack by the Syrian Electronic Army, a hacking group [24522]. They targeted Forbes' website, stole user data, and posted fake stories. This incident was a result of a malicious external threat rather than incompetence in development.
(b) The software failure incident was accidental. It was a result of a successful hack by the Syrian Electronic Army, where they were able to compromise Forbes' publishing platform and steal user data [24522]. This was not an accidental failure but a deliberate and malicious attack on the system. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is considered temporary. The incident was a result of a hack by the Syrian Electronic Army on Forbes' website, leading to the theft of user data and the posting of fake stories. Forbes acknowledged the hack and stated that users' email addresses may have been exposed, but passwords were encrypted. They advised users to change their passwords as a precaution. The incident involved unauthorized access and data theft, which are contributing factors introduced by certain circumstances (the hack by the Syrian Electronic Army) but not all circumstances, making it a temporary failure [24522]. |
| Behaviour |
other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in this case does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The incident involves a hack by the Syrian Electronic Army on Forbes' website, resulting in the theft of user data and the posting of fake stories [Article 24522].
(b) omission: The software failure incident does not involve omission where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, the incident is related to a security breach where user data was stolen and fake stories were posted on the website [Article 24522].
(c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to timing, where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The incident is primarily about a security breach and data theft by the Syrian Electronic Army [Article 24522].
(d) value: The software failure incident does not involve a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The incident is centered around a hack and data breach rather than a functional error in the system [Article 24522].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The incident is primarily about a targeted hack by the Syrian Electronic Army on Forbes' website, resulting in data theft and fake stories being posted [Article 24522].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in this case is related to a security breach orchestrated by the Syrian Electronic Army, leading to the theft of user data and the posting of fake stories on Forbes' website. This incident falls under the category of a cyber attack rather than a traditional software failure such as a crash, omission, timing issue, value error, or byzantine behavior [Article 24522]. |