| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to hacking an ATM machine has happened again at the same organization, Diebold Nixdorf. The article mentions that since being able to hack Diebold Nixdorf's ATMs, IOActive has been trying to work with the company to test out security flaws on its other machines. However, Diebold declined the help, stating that the hacked ATM was from between 2008 and 2009 and had never received any security patches or maintenance. It's unclear if the vulnerability has since been fixed [61343].
(b) The software failure incident related to hacking an ATM machine has also happened at other organizations or with their products and services. The article mentions that in the past, researchers have used vulnerabilities to hijack cars, smart homes, and guns, indicating that similar incidents have occurred in various industries beyond just ATMs [61343]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to the design phase. The vulnerability that allowed researchers to hack into Diebold Nixdorf's ATM was due to a security flaw near the ATM's speakers in the upper section, which provided an opening for potential hackers to expose a USB port [61343]. Despite being informed about this vulnerability, the company did not consider it a significant security issue to address because it believed only the bottom portion of the ATM, where the cash is stored, needed to be secured. This oversight in the design of the ATM's security features ultimately led to the successful hack.
(b) The software failure incident is not directly linked to the operation phase or misuse of the system. The vulnerability exploited by the researchers was a design flaw in the ATM's security system, rather than a failure caused by the operation or misuse of the system [61343]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident involving the ATM hack by security researchers at Black Hat was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. The vulnerability exploited by the researchers was related to an exposed USB port in Diebold Nixdorf's popular Opteva ATMs, allowing them to inject code into the ATM's Automatic Funds Distributor and trick the machine into dispensing cash [61343]. The security flaw near the ATM's speakers in the upper section provided an opening for potential hackers to exploit, demonstrating that the machine's security was only as strong as its weakest link within the system.
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident was also influenced by contributing factors that originated from outside the system. Despite the researchers reaching out to Diebold Nixdorf multiple times about the vulnerability, the company did not consider it enough of a security issue to address, as they believed only the bottom portion of the ATM where the cash is stored needed to be secured. Diebold Nixdorf argued that the vulnerability wouldn't allow anyone to steal money because the cash was safely locked in the bottom, indicating a lack of consideration for potential external threats to the system [61343]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to non-human actions. Security researchers at IOActive were able to hack into Diebold Nixdorf's ATM by exploiting a vulnerability near the ATM's speakers that exposed a USB port. This allowed them to inject code into the ATM's Automatic Funds Distributor, a bot on the embedded system, and trick the machine into dispensing cash until it was empty [61343]. The vulnerability in the ATM's design and the lack of security measures in the embedded system were non-human factors that contributed to the software failure incident. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to hardware. The incident involved a hack of an ATM machine manufactured by Diebold Nixdorf, where security researchers were able to exploit a vulnerability in the hardware of the ATM to make it dispense cash until it was empty. The vulnerability was related to an exposed USB port in the machine, which allowed the researchers to inject code and manipulate the Automatic Funds Distributor bot on the embedded system to empty out the cash stash [61343].
(b) The software failure incident in the article is also related to software. The security researchers were able to exploit a software vulnerability in the ATM's embedded system by injecting code through the exposed USB port. This manipulation of the software allowed them to trick the machine into dispensing cash without authorization, highlighting a software flaw in the system [61343]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is malicious in nature. Security researchers were able to hack into Diebold Nixdorf's ATM by exploiting a vulnerability in the system, allowing them to manipulate the ATM to dispense cash until it was empty. The researchers demonstrated that the vulnerability could be used to compromise the ATM's security and exploit it for financial gain. Additionally, the company initially did not consider the vulnerability a significant security issue, indicating a lack of proactive measures to address potential threats [61343]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident involving the hack of Diebold Nixdorf's ATM can be attributed to poor decisions made by the company. Despite being informed multiple times about the vulnerability by security researchers, Diebold Nixdorf did not consider it a significant security issue and did not address it adequately. The company believed that only securing the bottom portion of the ATM where the cash is stored was sufficient, ignoring the vulnerability near the ATM's speakers that allowed hackers to exploit an exposed USB port [61343]. This lack of attention to security and dismissing the warnings from researchers ultimately led to the successful hack of the ATM, demonstrating poor decision-making on the part of the company. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The security researchers at IOActive were able to hack into Diebold Nixdorf's ATM by exploiting a vulnerability near the ATM's speakers that allowed them to expose a USB port. Despite being informed multiple times about the vulnerability, Diebold Nixdorf did not consider it a significant security issue and did not address it adequately. This lack of attention to security flaws and the belief that only the bottom portion of the ATM needed to be secured showcases a level of development incompetence in addressing potential risks ([61343]).
(b) The software failure incident can also be considered accidental to some extent. The spokeswoman for Diebold Nixdorf mentioned that the ATM that was hacked by IOActive was from between 2008 and 2009 and had never received any security patches or maintenance. The risk of compromise increased due to the lack of proper maintenance and patching, especially for an almost 10-year-old device. This accidental neglect of maintaining the software and keeping it up to date contributed to the vulnerability that was exploited by the security researchers ([61343]). |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is more likely to be temporary rather than permanent. The incident involved a hack of an ATM machine by security researchers, where they were able to exploit a vulnerability in the machine's security system to make it dispense cash until it was empty. The vulnerability was related to an exposed USB port in the ATM, which allowed the researchers to inject code and manipulate the Automatic Funds Distributor to empty out the cash stash [61343]. This incident was a result of specific circumstances and vulnerabilities in the system that were exploited by the researchers, rather than a fundamental flaw in the design of the ATM that would persist under all circumstances. |
| Behaviour |
crash, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article can be categorized as a crash. The security researchers were able to exploit a vulnerability in an ATM made by Diebold Nixdorf, causing it to dispense cash until it was empty. This behavior indicates a loss of control over the system's state, leading to it not performing its intended function of securely dispensing cash [61343].
(b) omission: The incident does not directly involve a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, the focus is on exploiting a vulnerability to make the ATM dispense cash in an unauthorized manner [61343].
(c) timing: The incident does not relate to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions too late or too early. The focus is on the security vulnerability that allowed the researchers to manipulate the ATM to dispense cash in an unintended manner [61343].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be categorized as a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The security researchers injected code into the ATM's Automatic Funds Distributor, tricking the machine into emptying its entire cash stash, which is not the intended function of the ATM [61343].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not exhibit a byzantine failure, which involves the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. In this case, the system's behavior was manipulated by the researchers to exploit a vulnerability and make the ATM dispense cash in an unauthorized manner [61343].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be described as a security vulnerability exploit leading to unauthorized cash dispensing from the ATM. The incident highlights the importance of addressing security flaws in embedded systems to prevent such unauthorized actions [61343]. |