Incident: Car Wash System Hacked Due to Insecure Software and Default Passwords

Published Date: 2017-07-27

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident at the car wash happened when security researchers from Whitescope Security and QED Secure Solutions managed to hack into the car wash's system and convince it to do things that could damage a vehicle and trap its occupants, as reported by Vice's Motherboard at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas this week [61339]. 2. Published on 2017-07-27 07:00:00+00:00. 3. The software failure incident at the car wash likely occurred in July 2017.
System 1. PDQ LaserWash system running on Windows CE with a web server for remote monitoring and configuration [61339]
Responsible Organization 1. Hackers were responsible for causing the software failure incident at the car wash [61339].
Impacted Organization 1. Car wash system and its operations [61339]
Software Causes 1. The software causes of the car wash hack incident were: - The use of old and insecure software, specifically Windows CE, in the car wash system [61339]. - Lack of proper security measures such as easy-to-guess default passwords and unsecured web servers in the car wash system [61339].
Non-software Causes 1. Lack of proper physical security measures at the car wash facility, allowing unauthorized access to critical components like the bay doors and wash arm [61339].
Impacts 1. The hack into the car wash's system could potentially damage a vehicle and trap its occupants by tricking the bay doors into opening and closing with a vehicle underneath, ignoring safety sensors [61339].
Preventions To prevent the software failure incident where hackers were able to manipulate a car wash system, the following measures could have been taken: 1. Implementing strong and unique passwords: Using easy-to-guess default passwords was a significant security vulnerability in the car wash system. By enforcing strong, unique passwords, the system could have been better protected [61339]. 2. Regular security updates and patches: Updating the system software regularly with security patches could have addressed known vulnerabilities and improved the overall security posture of the car wash system [61339]. 3. Network segmentation and firewalling: Implementing network segmentation and firewalling systems could have helped isolate critical components of the car wash system from external threats, enhancing overall security [61339]. 4. Enhanced monitoring and intrusion detection: Implementing robust monitoring and intrusion detection mechanisms could have helped detect unauthorized access or unusual activities in the system, enabling timely responses to potential security breaches [61339].
Fixes 1. Implementing stronger security measures such as firewalling systems and changing default passwords on the car wash's system [61339].
References 1. Security researchers from Whitescope Security and QED Secure Solutions [61339]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization, multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident related to a car wash being vulnerable to a cyberattack due to insecure software has happened at the same organization again. The article mentions that security researchers managed to hack into a car wash's system, specifically the PDQ LaserWash, due to easy-to-guess default passwords and lack of proper security measures [61339]. (b) The software failure incident related to a car wash being vulnerable to a cyberattack due to insecure software may also be applicable to other organizations with similar systems. The vulnerability highlighted in the article, such as using vintage Windows CE and having unsecured web servers, could potentially be present in other car wash systems connected to the internet, making them susceptible to similar attacks [61339].
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to design-related factors introduced during system development and operation. The car wash system's vulnerability to cyberattacks was a result of running on outdated and insecure software, specifically Windows CE, with easy-to-guess default passwords. This design flaw allowed hackers to remotely access and manipulate the car wash system, leading to potential damage to vehicles and occupants [61339]. (b) Additionally, the failure can also be linked to operational factors as the incident occurred due to the misuse of the system by hackers who exploited the lack of security measures in place. The hackers were able to trick the car wash system into performing actions that could harm vehicles and trap occupants by sending unauthorized commands and bypassing safety sensors [61339].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident described in the article is within_system. The car wash system was hacked into by security researchers due to vulnerabilities within the system itself, such as easy-to-guess default passwords and lack of proper security measures. The hackers were able to manipulate the car wash system to perform actions that could potentially damage vehicles and trap occupants [61339].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to non-human actions. The car wash system was vulnerable to a cyberattack because of its outdated and insecure software running on Windows CE with easy-to-guess default passwords. The hackers were able to remotely access the car wash system and manipulate it to perform actions that could potentially damage vehicles and trap occupants without any direct human involvement [61339]. (b) However, human actions also played a role in this incident as the researchers from Whitescope Security and QED Secure Solutions actively hacked into the car wash system to demonstrate its vulnerabilities. Additionally, the company responsible for the car wash system is working on fixing the security issue by implementing measures like firewalling systems and changing default passwords, which highlights the importance of human intervention in addressing software vulnerabilities [61339].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident in the article is related to hardware as the vulnerability exploited by the researchers in the car wash system was due to the hardware components being connected to the internet. The car wash system, specifically the PDQ LaserWash, runs on Windows CE and contains a web server for remote monitoring and configuration. The hardware components, such as the bay doors and wash arm, were manipulated by sending commands through the internet connection, showcasing a failure originating in the hardware setup of the car wash system [61339]. (b) The software failure incident in the article is also related to software as the vulnerability exploited by the researchers was facilitated by the lack of proper security measures in the software running on the car wash system. The system's software, Windows CE, was found to have easy-to-guess default passwords, making it susceptible to unauthorized access and manipulation. The software flaw allowed hackers to send commands to the car wash system, leading to potential damage to vehicles and occupants. The need for securing the software system by changing default passwords and implementing firewalling systems highlights a software failure contributing to the incident [61339].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) malicious (a) The software failure incident in this case is malicious. Security researchers managed to hack into a car wash's system and convince it to do things that could damage a vehicle and trap its occupants. They were able to trick the bay doors into opening and closing with a vehicle underneath, potentially causing damage, and also access the wash's arm to strike the vehicle or prevent an occupant from exiting the vehicle. This incident involved intentional actions by the hackers to exploit vulnerabilities in the system for harmful purposes [61339].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The intent of the software failure incident was due to poor decisions made in terms of cybersecurity practices. The car wash system was vulnerable to a cyberattack because of easy-to-guess default passwords and lack of proper security measures. The system running on Windows CE with unsecured web servers allowed hackers to access and manipulate the car wash operations, potentially causing damage to vehicles and trapping occupants [61339].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, accidental (a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The car wash system was hacked into by security researchers due to the system running on outdated and insecure software, specifically Windows CE, with easy-to-guess default passwords. This lack of proper security measures and failure to secure the system adequately allowed the researchers to manipulate the car wash system, potentially causing damage to vehicles and trapping occupants [61339]. (b) Additionally, the incident can also be considered accidental as the vulnerabilities in the system were not intentionally created but were present due to oversight or negligence in ensuring proper security measures. The fact that the car wash system was left exposed to such vulnerabilities unintentionally led to the potential risks posed by the hack [61339].
Duration temporary The software failure incident described in the article [61339] can be categorized as a temporary failure. The incident involved security researchers hacking into a car wash's system, exploiting vulnerabilities such as easy-to-guess default passwords to manipulate the car wash's operations. The researchers were able to trick the bay doors into opening and closing with a vehicle underneath, potentially causing damage, and also gain access to the wash's arm to strike the vehicle or prevent an occupant from exiting. The temporary nature of this software failure is evident from the fact that the security researchers were able to demonstrate the vulnerability at a specific point in time by actively exploiting the system's weaknesses. Additionally, the article mentions that the company responsible for the car wash system is working to fix the security issue by implementing measures like firewalling systems and changing default passwords, indicating that the failure is not permanent but can be addressed through appropriate remediation efforts.
Behaviour crash, omission, other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash as the hackers managed to convince the car wash system to do things that could potentially damage a vehicle and trap its occupants. This behavior indicates a failure of the system losing its state and not performing its intended functions [61339]. (b) omission: The incident also involves the system omitting to perform its intended functions at instances, such as ignoring sensors meant to prevent the bay doors from opening and closing with a vehicle underneath, potentially causing damage [61339]. (c) timing: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being related to timing issues in the article. (d) value: The incident does not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly due to incorrect values being processed. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit behaviors of inconsistent responses or interactions, which would classify it as a byzantine failure. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in the article can be categorized as "other" as it involves unauthorized access and manipulation of the car wash system by hackers, leading to potential physical harm to vehicles and occupants, which is not explicitly covered by the options (a) to (e) [61339].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception sensor (a) The failure was related to the perception layer of the cyber physical system that failed due to contributing factors introduced by sensor error. The security researchers managed to trick the bay doors into opening and closing with a vehicle underneath, ignoring sensors meant to prevent this and potentially causing damage [61339].
Communication connectivity_level The software failure incident described in the article [61339] was related to the communication layer of the cyber physical system that failed at the connectivity_level. The vulnerability exploited by the security researchers involved the car wash's system being connected to the internet, specifically running on Windows CE with a web server for remote monitoring and configuration. The issue stemmed from the system not being entirely secured, with easy-to-guess default passwords allowing unauthorized access to send commands to the car wash, leading to potential damage to vehicles and occupants. This indicates a failure at the network layer in terms of securing the communication channels and access controls.
Application TRUE The software failure incident described in the article [61339] was related to the application layer of the cyber physical system. The hack into the car wash's system was facilitated by vulnerabilities such as easy-to-guess default passwords, allowing the researchers to send commands to the wash and manipulate its operations, including tricking the bay doors into opening and closing with a vehicle underneath and accessing the wash's arm to potentially cause damage or trap occupants. These actions were possible due to flaws in the application layer of the system, specifically the web server for remote monitoring and configuration running on Windows CE, which was not entirely secured against unauthorized access.

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, non-human, theoretical_consequence (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - There is no mention of any individuals losing their lives due to the software failure incident at the car wash [61339]. (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - The software failure incident at the car wash could potentially harm individuals as hackers could manipulate the car wash system to cause damage to vehicles and trap occupants, although there is no specific mention of actual physical harm occurring [61339]. (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure - There is no indication that people's access to food or shelter was impacted by the software failure incident at the car wash [61339]. (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incident at the car wash could lead to potential damage to vehicles and property if hackers were able to manipulate the car wash system successfully [61339]. (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure - There is no mention of people having to postpone any activities due to the software failure incident at the car wash [61339]. (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incident at the car wash directly impacted the car wash system itself, potentially causing damage to vehicles and affecting the operation of the car wash equipment [61339]. (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure - The software failure incident at the car wash had observable consequences related to the potential manipulation of the car wash system by hackers, as detailed in the article [61339]. (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur - The article discusses the potential consequences of the car wash system being hacked, such as damage to vehicles and trapping occupants, but it does not mention any actual occurrences of these consequences [61339]. (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? - There are no other consequences mentioned in the article beyond the potential risks and impacts of the software failure incident at the car wash [61339].
Domain transportation (a) The failed system in this incident was related to the transportation industry, specifically a car wash system that was vulnerable to a cyberattack [61339].

Sources

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