| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Microsoft software vulnerabilities and patches mentioned in Article 54657 indicates that similar incidents have happened before or again within the same organization. Microsoft has been consistently releasing security patches to address critical vulnerabilities in its products, such as Windows kernel, ActiveX, and Windows Media Player. The article mentions that Microsoft had initially planned to release a bulletin addressing a weakness in SSL and TLS encryption protocols but had to postpone it due to a compatibility issue with SAP. This shows a recurring pattern of addressing security vulnerabilities within Microsoft's software products.
(b) The software failure incident related to the SSL and TLS encryption protocols mentioned in Article 54657 also indicates that similar incidents have happened at other organizations or with their products and services. The article discusses the release of software called BEAST that can decrypt encrypted data streams for a man-in-the-middle attack, highlighting a broader vulnerability in SSL/TLS protocols used to secure websites. This suggests that the issue of vulnerabilities in encryption protocols is not unique to Microsoft but is a concern across various organizations relying on secure communication protocols. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the delay of a fix to protect Internet Explorer users from having their encrypted communications snooped on. Microsoft had initially planned on releasing a bulletin to address a weakness in SSL and TLS encryption protocols used to secure websites, but it was postponed due to a compatibility issue with SAP [54657].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the exploitation of a critical hole in the TrueType font handling in the Windows kernel by the Duqu malware. This flaw allowed attackers to take control of machines, showcasing a failure in the operation or misuse of the system [54657]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident mentioned in the article is primarily related to vulnerabilities and flaws within the Microsoft Windows operating system and associated software. For example, the critical hole in TrueType font handling in the Windows kernel (MS11-087) allowed attackers to take control of a machine, and the flaw in Windows Media Player (MS11-092) required a critical update. These vulnerabilities were exploited by malware like Duqu, indicating internal weaknesses within the system [54657].
(b) outside_system: The article also mentions a software failure incident related to a compatibility issue with a third-party application, specifically SAP, which caused the postponement of a bulletin addressing a weakness in SSL and TLS encryption protocols. This external factor from a third-party application impacted Microsoft's ability to provide a full fix for the vulnerability, highlighting an issue originating from outside the system [54657]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions in this case is the flaw in the TrueType font handling in the Windows kernel that could allow an attacker to take control of a machine. This flaw was being exploited by the Duqu Trojan, indicating a failure introduced without human participation [54657].
(b) The software failure incident related to human actions in this case is the postponement of a bulletin addressing a weakness in SSL and TLS encryption protocols due to a compatibility issue with SAP, a third-party application. This delay was caused by human actions related to the decision to work directly with the vendor to address the compatibility issue [54657]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article mentions a critical hole in the TrueType font handling in the Windows kernel that could allow an attacker to take control of a machine. This flaw was being exploited by the Duqu malware [54657].
- The article also discusses a compatibility issue with SAP that caused the postponement of a bulletin addressing a weakness in SSL and TLS encryption protocols. This compatibility issue with a third-party application indicates a hardware-related contributing factor [54657].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The article highlights various critical patches released by Microsoft to fix software vulnerabilities, such as in TrueType font handling, ActiveX Kill Bits, and Windows Media Player [54657].
- Additionally, the mention of a flaw in SSL and TLS encryption protocols, which was supposed to be addressed but was postponed due to a compatibility issue with SAP, points to a software-related contributing factor [54657]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident mentioned in the article is malicious in nature. The incident involved a flaw being exploited by the Duqu Trojan, which is a type of malware designed to infiltrate systems and potentially cause harm [54657]. Additionally, the article discusses how the Duqu malware was used in the wild to infect systems, highlighting the malicious intent behind the exploitation of the software flaw.
(b) The article does not provide information about a non-malicious software failure incident. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the delay in fixing a weakness in SSL and TLS encryption protocols was due to poor decisions introduced by a compatibility issue with SAP. Microsoft had initially planned to release a bulletin to address this weakness but had to postpone it because of the third-party application compatibility issue with SAP, as mentioned by Jerry Bryant, group manager of response communications at Microsoft Trustworthy Computing [54657]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence can be seen in the delay of the fix to protect Internet Explorer users from having their encrypted communications snooped on. Microsoft had initially planned on releasing a bulletin to address a weakness in SSL and TLS encryption protocols, but it was postponed due to a compatibility issue with SAP, a third-party application. This delay in addressing a critical security vulnerability due to a compatibility issue with another software component can be attributed to a lack of professional competence in managing dependencies and ensuring timely fixes [54657].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors can be observed in the discovery of a compatibility issue with SAP that led to the postponement of the bulletin addressing the SSL and TLS encryption protocols vulnerability. This compatibility issue was not intentional but was discovered during the development process, indicating an accidental introduction of factors that delayed the release of a critical security fix [54657]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident related to the SSL and TLS encryption protocols being vulnerable to the BEAST attack was temporary. Microsoft had initially planned to release a fix for this vulnerability but had to postpone it due to a compatibility issue with SAP, a third-party application. The bulletin addressing this security advisory was postponed, and Microsoft was working with the vendor to address the compatibility issue [54657].
(b) The software failure incident related to the TrueType font handling flaw in the Windows kernel that allowed attackers to take control of a machine was temporary. Microsoft released a patch (MS11-087) to fix this critical vulnerability that was being exploited by the Duqu malware. Security firm Qualys predicted that an exploit for this flaw would likely be developed and become available shortly after the patch release [54657]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, timing, other |
(a) crash: The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to a crash.
(b) omission: The software failure incident related to omission is the delay in releasing a fix to protect Internet Explorer users from having their encrypted communications snooped on. Microsoft had initially planned to address a weakness in SSL and TLS encryption protocols but postponed the bulletin due to a compatibility issue with SAP [54657].
(c) timing: The software failure incident related to timing is the delay in releasing a full fix for the SSL and TLS encryption protocols issue. Microsoft released a workaround in September but encountered a compatibility issue with SAP, causing the full fix to be postponed [54657].
(d) value: The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to a value failure.
(e) byzantine: The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to a byzantine behavior.
(f) other: The other behavior in this case is the software failure incident related to a flaw in the TrueType font handling in the Windows kernel that could allow an attacker to take control of a machine. This flaw was being exploited by the Duqu Trojan, leading to a critical security patch being issued by Microsoft [54657]. |