Incident: Arizona DMV Issues Incorrect Licenses Due to New Software Transition

Published Date: 2014-06-25

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident of putting wrong photos on driving licenses in Arizona happened after the agency transitioned to a new centralized system last week [27693]. Therefore, the software failure incident likely occurred in June 2014.
System 1. New computer software introduced by the Department of Motor Vehicles in Arizona [27693]
Responsible Organization 1. The Department of Motor Vehicles in Arizona [27693]
Impacted Organization 1. Individuals who received new licenses with the wrong photograph on them [27693] 2. Department of Motor Vehicles in Arizona [27693]
Software Causes 1. The introduction of new computer software at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Arizona is believed to be a cause of the glitches leading to wrong pictures on driving licenses [27693].
Non-software Causes 1. Human error in verifying the accuracy of the photographs and names on the licenses [27693].
Impacts 1. At least five people received new licenses with the wrong photograph on them, leading to mistaken identities and potential privacy concerns [27693].
Preventions 1. Proper testing and quality assurance procedures before implementing the new computer software at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Arizona could have helped prevent the software failure incident [27693]. 2. Conducting thorough user acceptance testing to identify and address any potential issues or glitches in the system before rolling it out to production could have prevented the wrong photos and names from being printed on the driving licenses [27693].
Fixes 1. Conduct a thorough assessment of the new computer software system to identify any bugs or glitches that may be causing the wrong photos to be printed on licenses and IDs. This assessment should involve a detailed review of the software's code, configuration, and integration with existing systems [27693].
References 1. Department of Motor Vehicles in Arizona 2. Transportation officials 3. Director Stacey Stanton 4. Jennifer Lohss 5. CBS5

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: The incident of putting wrong photos on licenses due to new computer software occurred at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Arizona [27693]. This suggests that the software failure incident happened again within the same organization. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: There is no specific mention in the provided article about the software failure incident happening again at multiple organizations.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident in the Arizona DMV case seems to be related to the design phase. The article mentions that the errors with putting wrong pictures on driving licenses were attributed to a new computer system introduced by the DMV. The introduction of this new software system is believed to have caused the glitches leading to individuals receiving licenses with incorrect photographs [27693]. (b) The software failure incident could also be related to the operation phase. The article mentions that the mistakes occurred after the agency transitioned to a new centralized system. This transition to the new system may have introduced operational challenges or issues that led to the errors in issuing the driving licenses with incorrect photos [27693].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Arizona DMV putting the wrong photos on several licenses and IDs was attributed to a new computer system introduced by the Department of Motor Vehicles [27693]. The errors, such as individuals receiving licenses with incorrect photographs, were believed to be caused by the glitches in the new centralized system that the agency had transitioned to. The Director mentioned that they assembled a team to assess the issues, indicating that the failure originated within the system itself.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The Arizona DMV reported that the introduction of new computer software could be to blame for the glitches that led to wrong photos on licenses and IDs [27693]. - The errors in the licenses were attributed to a new centralized system that the agency transitioned to, indicating a failure related to the software system itself rather than human actions [27693].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The article mentions that the Department of Motor Vehicles in Arizona has been putting the wrong pictures and names on some driving licenses due to a new computer system, indicating a hardware-related issue [27693]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The article specifically states that transportation officials are blaming a new computer system for causing errors that led to individuals receiving the wrong picture on their driver's permit, highlighting a software-related issue [27693].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident in the Arizona DMV, where wrong photos were placed on driving licenses, does not seem to be malicious. The incident is attributed to the introduction of new computer software, which caused glitches leading to individuals receiving licenses with incorrect photographs [27693]. The article mentions that transportation officials believe the errors were caused by a new centralized system that was recently implemented, indicating a non-malicious failure rather than a deliberate act to harm the system.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the Arizona DMV putting the wrong photos on several licenses and IDs seems to be more aligned with poor_decisions. The incident was attributed to the introduction of new computer software, which caused errors leading to individuals receiving licenses with incorrect photographs [27693]. The decision to implement the new software system without adequate testing or validation likely contributed to the failure, indicating poor decision-making in the software implementation process.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, accidental (a) The software failure incident in the Arizona DMV case could be attributed to development incompetence. The article mentions that the errors with putting wrong pictures on licenses were believed to be caused by a new computer system introduced by the DMV. The introduction of this new software system led to glitches resulting in individuals receiving licenses with incorrect photographs [27693]. (b) Additionally, the incident could also be categorized as an accidental failure. The article states that the mistakes occurred after the agency transitioned to a new centralized system, indicating that the errors were unintentional and not part of a deliberate action [27693].
Duration temporary From the provided article [27693], it is mentioned that the software failure incident related to the Arizona DMV putting the wrong photos on licenses and IDs was likely a temporary issue caused by the introduction of new computer software. The errors occurred after the agency transitioned to a new centralized system, indicating that the software failure was temporary in nature. The article states that the mistakes were not believed to be systemic but more individualized, suggesting that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by certain circumstances but not all.
Behaviour crash, omission, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the Arizona DMV case resulted in the wrong photographs and names being printed on driving licenses. This can be considered a crash as the system lost its state and did not perform its intended function of correctly matching the photograph with the individual's information [27693]. (b) omission: The incident involved the omission of performing the intended function of correctly printing the photographs on the licenses. The system omitted to perform this crucial task, leading to errors in identification documents [27693]. (c) timing: There is no specific mention of timing-related failures in the articles. Therefore, it is unknown if the software failure incident was related to timing issues. (d) value: The software failure incident led to the system performing its intended function incorrectly by printing the wrong photographs on the driving licenses. This can be categorized as a value-related failure where the system did not provide the correct output [27693]. (e) byzantine: The articles do not indicate any inconsistent responses or interactions by the system that would classify the failure as a byzantine behavior. (f) other: The other behavior observed in this software failure incident is the system transitioning to a new centralized system, which could have introduced complexities and errors leading to the incorrect printing of photographs on the licenses. This can be considered as a system behavior not falling under the defined categories of crash, omission, timing, value, or byzantine [27693].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, theoretical_consequence The consequence of the software failure incident described in the article is primarily related to the incorrect issuance of driving licenses with wrong photographs. There were no reported severe consequences such as death, harm, basic needs impact, property loss, or delays due to the software failure incident. The main impact was on the accuracy of the identification cards issued by the Arizona Department of Motor Vehicles, leading to concerns about personal information security [27693].
Domain transportation, government (a) The failed system was intended to support the transportation industry. The Department of Motor Vehicles in Arizona experienced software glitches that resulted in wrong photos being placed on driving licenses and IDs [27693]. The errors were attributed to a new computer system introduced by the transportation officials, indicating that the software failure incident directly impacted the transportation sector.

Sources

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