| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article mentions that Sony Pictures has faced a series of embarrassing security breaches in the past. In August, Sony's PlayStation Network was taken down by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, and in 2011, the network was the target of a severe hack that exposed the personal data of over 100 million customers. These incidents indicate a history of security vulnerabilities within Sony's systems [31809].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
There is no specific mention in the article about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. Therefore, it is unknown if this software failure incident has occurred at multiple organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident at Sony Pictures, where the company was hacked by a group called #GOP, can be attributed to a failure in the design phase. The hackers claimed to have obtained Sony Pictures' internal data, including its "secrets," indicating a breach in the system's security measures [31809].
(b) Additionally, the incident can also be linked to a failure in the operation phase. Sony Pictures employees were instructed to shut down computers, not access corporate networks or email, and disable Wi-Fi on mobile devices to prevent further unauthorized access, highlighting the impact of the operation and the need to mitigate risks associated with system usage [31809]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident at Sony Pictures, involving a hack by the group #GOP, was primarily caused by factors originating from within the system. The hackers managed to breach Sony Pictures' internal data and network, leading to the shutdown of computers and corporate networks within the organization [31809]. Sony Pictures employees were instructed to disable Wi-Fi on mobile devices and refrain from accessing corporate networks or email, indicating that the failure was contained within the system's infrastructure and security measures. |
| 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 hack carried out by a hacker group called #GOP. The hackers gained unauthorized access to Sony Pictures' internal data, including its "secrets," and threatened to release the data to the public if their demands were not met. This incident led to the shutdown of computers and networks at Sony Pictures, affecting the operations of the film studio [31809].
(b) Human actions also played a role in the response to the software failure incident. Sony Pictures instructed its employees to shut down computers, stay off the network, disable Wi-Fi on mobile devices, and refrain from accessing corporate networks or email. This response was a human action taken to mitigate the impact of the hack on the organization [31809]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident at Sony Pictures was not directly attributed to hardware issues. The incident was primarily caused by a hack carried out by a hacker group called #GOP, which compromised Sony Pictures' internal data and network security [31809].
(b) The software failure incident at Sony Pictures was primarily due to contributing factors originating in software, specifically the hack carried out by the hacker group #GOP. The hackers gained access to Sony Pictures' internal data and network, leading to the shutdown of computers and corporate networks within the film studio [31809]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident at Sony Pictures was malicious in nature. The incident was a result of a hack carried out by a hacker group called #GOP, who threatened to reveal Sony Pictures' internal data and secrets if their demands were not met. The hackers intentionally targeted Sony Pictures' network and obtained sensitive information with the intent to harm the system and potentially embarrass the company [31809]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
unknown |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The software failure incident involving the hack on Sony Pictures was not due to poor decisions but rather a deliberate act by a hacker group called #GOP who threatened to reveal Sony Pictures' "secrets" if their demands were not met [31809].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- The software failure incident was not accidental but a deliberate hack orchestrated by the hacker group #GOP, indicating that it was not a result of accidental decisions but a planned attack [31809]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. Therefore, it is unknown if the failure was due to contributing factors introduced due to lack of professional competence by humans or the development organization.
(b) The software failure incident related to an accidental factor is evident in the article. The hack on Sony Pictures' network by the hacker group #GOP was an accidental incident caused by external malicious actors exploiting vulnerabilities in the system. The hackers gained unauthorized access to Sony Pictures' internal data, leading to the shutdown of computers and networks within the film studio [31809]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is temporary. The incident involved a hack on Sony Pictures' network by a hacker group called #GOP, which forced employees to shut down their computers and stay off the network [31809]. This temporary failure was due to the specific circumstance of a cyberattack by the hacker group, leading to the shutdown of systems and networks as a security measure. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. The incident led to Sony Pictures employees being instructed to shut down their computers, stay off the network, and disable Wi-Fi on mobile devices, indicating a loss of system state and the system not performing its intended functions [31809].
(b) omission: The incident can also be related to omission as the employees were told not to access corporate networks or email, suggesting that the system omitted to perform its intended functions at that instance [31809].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being related to timing issues in the articles.
(d) value: The incident does not directly point to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident could also be described as a security breach or a cyberattack, as it involved hackers gaining unauthorized access to Sony Pictures' internal data and threatening to release it to the public if their demands were not met [31809]. |