| Recurring |
multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- The article does not provide information about a similar incident happening again within the same organization or with its products and services. Therefore, it is unknown if a similar incident has occurred again at the same organization [50611].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- The article mentions concerns about foreign interference in elections and referendums, highlighting Russia's alleged attempts to influence the 2016 U.S. election. This indicates that similar incidents of cyber attacks or interference may have occurred in multiple organizations or countries, not necessarily the same incident but a pattern of such activities [50611]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident mentioned in the article is related to the design phase. The article reports that a website allowing Britons to register to vote in the EU referendum crashed before the deadline, potentially due to foreign hackers targeting it. The crash was attributed to a late rush by mainly young citizens applying to register online, leading to the government extending the cut-off point. The possibility of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) cyber attack causing the crash was also raised by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) [50611].
(b) The article does not provide specific information indicating that the software failure incident was due to factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident reported in the article was potentially caused by a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) cyber attack, which is a factor originating from within the system. The crash of the website allowing Britons to register to vote in the EU referendum was suspected to be a result of foreign hackers targeting the system, leading to its failure [50611].
(b) outside_system: The article also mentions concerns about foreign interference in the form of cyber attacks, indicating that the contributing factors leading to the software failure incident could have originated from outside the system. The report by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee highlighted worries about foreign interference, particularly in the context of cyber attacks impacting elections and referendums [50611]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 50611 was potentially caused by non-human actions, specifically a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) cyber attack. The article mentions that the website allowing Britons to register to vote in the EU referendum might have been targeted by foreign hackers, leading to the crash before the deadline. The committee of British lawmakers did not rule out the possibility of a DDoS cyber attack as the cause of the crash [50611].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 50611 was not directly attributed to human actions causing the failure. However, the article does mention criticism of the government's failure to prepare for the Brexit vote and former Prime Minister David Cameron's motives for calling the referendum, indicating potential human-related factors contributing to the overall situation but not directly to the software failure incident itself [50611]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 50611 was not attributed to hardware issues. Instead, it was suggested that the crash of the website allowing Britons to register to vote in the EU referendum might have been caused by foreign hackers, potentially through a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) cyber attack. This indicates that the contributing factors for the failure originated in external cyber attacks rather than hardware issues [50611].
(b) The software failure incident reported in Article 50611 was primarily attributed to contributing factors originating in software. The crash of the voter registration website was suspected to be a result of a cyber attack, specifically a potential Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack by foreign hackers. This points to a software-related failure rather than hardware issues [50611]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident mentioned in the article is suspected to be malicious. The article discusses the possibility of the website crash being caused by a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) cyber attack by foreign hackers targeting the voter registration website for the European Union referendum [50611]. The committee expressed deep concern about allegations of foreign interference and highlighted the need for monitoring future elections and referendums for cyber attacks. The report also mentioned the different understanding of cyber-attack by countries like Russia and China, emphasizing the influence on public opinion beyond just technical aspects.
(b) There is no information provided in the articles to suggest that the software failure incident was non-malicious. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the registration website crashing before the deadline for the EU referendum registration was potentially targeted by foreign hackers, leading to concerns about foreign interference. The incident raised questions about the government's failure to prepare for the Brexit vote and former Prime Minister David Cameron's motives for calling the referendum, suggesting poor decisions may have contributed to the failure [50611]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The article mentions the failure of the website allowing Britons to register to vote in the EU referendum, which might have been targeted by foreign hackers causing it to crash before the deadline. This indicates a potential failure due to development incompetence, as the system was not robust enough to withstand a possible cyber attack [50611].
(b) The article does not provide specific information indicating that the software failure incident was accidental. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was temporary. The website allowing Britons to register to vote in the EU referendum crashed before the deadline due to a potential DDoS cyber attack, causing it to be inaccessible for a period of time. The government extended the cut-off point after the crash, indicating that the failure was not permanent [50611]. |
| Behaviour |
crash |
(a) The software failure incident mentioned in the article is a crash. The website allowing Britons to register to vote in the EU referendum crashed before the deadline, causing the government to extend the cut-off point [50611]. |