Incident: Face ID Failure Incident at Apple iPhone X Launch.

Published Date: 2017-09-14

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with Face ID happened during the iPhone X launch event on Tuesday, as reported in Article 62993 and Article 62972. 2. Article 62993 was published on 2017-09-14, providing the specific date of the incident. 3. Therefore, the software failure incident with Face ID occurred on Tuesday, 2017-09-12.
System 1. Face ID feature on the iPhone X [62993, 62972]
Responsible Organization 1. Staff members moving the device ahead of its unveil [62972] 2. People handling the device for stage demo ahead of time and not realizing Face ID was trying to authenticate their face [62993]
Impacted Organization 1. Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple [62993, 62972] 2. Apple as a company [62993, 62972]
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident was a lockout mechanism triggered by staff members moving the device ahead of its unveil, which led to the Face ID glitch during the on-stage demo at the iPhone X's launch [62972]. 2. Another software cause was the device constantly trying to verify people's faces, leading to the need for a passcode input after multiple failed attempts, as designed by Apple's security feature [62993].
Non-software Causes 1. Staff members moving the device ahead of its unveil, triggering a lockout mechanism [62972]. 2. Mr. Federighi's stage make-up potentially interfering with the system [62972]. 3. The phone had been recently rebooted, triggering the need for a typed code [62972].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident involving Face ID at the iPhone X launch event led to a temporary glitch during the on-stage demo, where Craig Federighi had to resort to a backup device to showcase the facial recognition feature [62993, 62972]. 2. The incident, although brief, was widely reported and raised concerns about the reliability and effectiveness of the Face ID technology, potentially undermining confidence in Apple's claims about the feature being "effortless" and accurate [62972]. 3. Questions were raised about the security and privacy implications of Face ID, especially regarding potential vulnerabilities if the system can be easily bypassed after just two unsuccessful attempts compared to Touch ID, which required more failed tries before requiring a passcode [62972]. 4. The incident prompted inquiries from Senator Al Franken, who sought more information from Apple regarding how Face ID would impact users' privacy and security, as well as its performance across different user groups [62972].
Preventions 1. Proper training for staff members handling the device before the demo could have prevented the software failure incident by ensuring they were aware of Face ID authentication attempts [62993, 62972]. 2. Implementing additional safeguards in the software to differentiate between intentional authentication attempts and unintended interactions could have helped prevent the incident [62993, 62972]. 3. Conducting more extensive testing and rehearsals to anticipate and address potential issues that may arise during the demo could have mitigated the risk of the software failure incident [62972].
Fixes 1. Implement stricter controls during stage demos to prevent unauthorized handling of the device, which triggers the lockout mechanism of Face ID [62972]. 2. Enhance the user interface or provide clearer feedback to users when Face ID fails to authenticate, to avoid confusion and improve user experience [62993]. 3. Conduct thorough testing and simulations to anticipate and address potential issues that may arise during public demonstrations of the technology [62972].
References 1. Apple spokesperson as quoted by Yahoo's David Pogue [62972] 2. Apple's software chief [62972] 3. Apple [62972] 4. Democrat senator Al Franken [62972]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization, multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident related to Face ID happened at Apple during the iPhone X launch event. Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, faced a glitch with Face ID during the on-stage demo, where the facial recognition feature failed to unlock the handset. This incident led to the device requiring a passcode instead. Apple explained that the failure was due to a lockout mechanism triggered by staff members handling the device before the demo [62993, 62972]. (b) The incident with Face ID at Apple's iPhone X launch event was widely reported and raised concerns about the reliability and security of the facial recognition feature. Senator Al Franken even sent a letter to Apple seeking more information about Face ID's impact on privacy and security. This incident sparked discussions about potential vulnerabilities and usability issues with facial recognition technology, not just limited to Apple but also concerning other organizations and their products/services that may implement similar features in the future [62972].
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident in the articles can be attributed to the design phase. Apple's Face ID feature failed during the on-stage demo of the iPhone X due to a lockout mechanism triggered by staff members moving the device ahead of its unveil. People handling the device for the stage demo did not realize Face ID was trying to authenticate their faces, leading to multiple failed attempts and ultimately requiring a passcode [62993, 62972]. (b) The software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. The incident occurred during the operation of the system when individuals handling the device for the stage demo inadvertently interfered with the Face ID authentication process, leading to the system requiring a passcode after multiple failed attempts [62993, 62972].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Face ID glitch during the iPhone X launch event was primarily attributed to factors originating from within the system. Apple explained that the Face ID glitch occurred because people handling the device for the stage demo ahead of time inadvertently triggered the lockout mechanism by attempting to authenticate their faces, leading to multiple failed attempts when the device was not recognizing them as the authorized user, Craig Federighi. This internal system behavior then prompted the iPhone to require the passcode as designed [62993, 62972]. (b) outside_system: There is no explicit mention in the articles of contributing factors originating from outside the system that led to the Face ID glitch during the iPhone X launch event.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: The software failure incident with Face ID during the iPhone X launch event was attributed to non-human actions. Apple explained that the Face ID glitch occurred because staff members were handling the device for the stage demo ahead of time, causing the Face ID to try to authenticate their faces instead of Craig Federighi's. This led to the lockout mechanism being triggered, requiring a passcode to unlock the device [62993, 62972]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: The software failure incident with Face ID was not directly caused by human actions but rather by the unintended interactions of staff members handling the device before the demo. The failure was a result of the device attempting to authenticate faces other than Craig Federighi's, leading to the lockout mechanism being activated [62993, 62972].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident related to hardware: - The Face ID glitch during the iPhone X launch event was attributed to a lockout mechanism triggered by staff members moving the device ahead of its unveil [62972]. - People handling the device for the stage demo ahead of time inadvertently triggered the lockout mechanism, leading to the Face ID failure [62993]. (b) The software failure incident related to software: - Apple explained that the Face ID glitch was not a failure of the feature itself but rather the lockout mechanism working as designed when unauthorized individuals attempted to authenticate their faces [62972]. - The software was designed to require a passcode after a certain number of unsuccessful face authentication attempts, which was the intended behavior in this case [62993].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident related to Face ID on the iPhone X during the Apple event was non-malicious. The failure was attributed to a lockout mechanism triggered by staff members moving the device ahead of its unveil, causing Face ID to fail to unlock the handset during the on-stage demo [62972]. Apple explained that people handling the device for the stage demo ahead of time did not realize Face ID was trying to authenticate their faces, leading to the device requiring a passcode after multiple failed attempts [62993]. This incident was not caused by malicious intent but rather by unintentional actions that interfered with the proper functioning of the Face ID feature.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions, accidental_decisions From the provided articles [62993, 62972], the software failure incident related to the Face ID glitch during the iPhone X launch event can be attributed to both poor decisions and accidental decisions. 1. Accidental Decisions: - The Face ID glitch was attributed to a lockout mechanism triggered by staff members moving the device ahead of its unveil, causing the facial recognition feature to fail during the on-stage demo [62972]. - People handling the device for the stage demo ahead of time did not realize Face ID was trying to authenticate their faces, leading to multiple failed attempts before requiring a passcode [62993]. - The incident was described as accidental, with the company representative stating that the iPhone did what it was designed to do after failing to recognize unauthorized faces [62972]. 2. Poor Decisions: - It can be considered a poor decision on the part of the staff members to handle the device before the demo without understanding the implications on the Face ID feature [62972]. - The failure during the demo could be seen as a consequence of poor planning or oversight in ensuring that the Face ID feature would function smoothly during the presentation [62993]. In summary, the software failure incident involving the Face ID glitch at the iPhone X launch event appears to have elements of both accidental decisions (staff handling the device incorrectly) and poor decisions (lack of proper planning or oversight).
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided articles. (b) The software failure incident was attributed to an accidental factor. Apple explained that the Face ID glitch during the on-stage demo was caused by staff members handling the device before the unveil, not realizing Face ID was trying to authenticate their faces. This accidental triggering of the lockout mechanism led to the failure during the demo [62993, 62972].
Duration temporary From the provided articles [62993, 62972], the software failure incident related to the Face ID glitch during the iPhone X launch event was temporary. The failure was attributed to a lockout mechanism triggered by staff members moving the device ahead of its unveil, causing Face ID to fail to unlock the handset during the on-stage demo. Apple explained that the Face ID glitch occurred because people handling the device for the stage demo ahead of time did not realize Face ID was trying to authenticate their faces, leading to multiple failed attempts before requiring a passcode [62972]. This temporary failure was resolved by switching to a backup device, which worked as intended, indicating that the failure was due to specific circumstances rather than a permanent issue with the software itself.
Behaviour crash, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident related to Face ID during the iPhone X launch event can be categorized as a crash. The Face ID feature failed to unlock the handset during the on-stage demo, leading to a lockout mechanism being triggered, requiring the passcode to be entered instead [62972]. (b) omission: The software failure incident did not involve omission as the Face ID feature was attempting to authenticate faces but failed to recognize individuals who were not Craig Federighi, leading to the passcode requirement [62972]. (c) timing: The software failure incident was not related to timing issues as the Face ID feature was functioning correctly but failed to unlock the handset at the right moment during the on-stage demo [62972]. (d) value: The software failure incident can be associated with a value issue as the Face ID feature did not perform its intended function of unlocking the handset with facial recognition, leading to the need for a passcode entry [62972]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not exhibit byzantine behavior as the system's response was consistent in requiring the passcode after multiple failed attempts to authenticate faces during the demo [62972]. (f) other: The software failure incident can be described as a glitch or fault in the system where the Face ID feature, although designed to work seamlessly, encountered a hiccup during the on-stage demonstration, causing a temporary failure in unlocking the handset [62972].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence theoretical_consequence (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? The articles do not mention any consequences such as death, harm, basic needs impact, property loss, or non-human entities being affected due to the software failure incident. The incident primarily revolved around a demonstration glitch during the unveiling of the iPhone X's Face ID feature, leading to a temporary hiccup in the presentation. The main consequence discussed was the potential impact on user confidence in Apple's claims about the Face ID technology.
Domain other (a) The failed system in the articles is related to the technology industry, specifically the smartphone industry, as it involves the introduction of Face ID, a facial recognition feature, during the launch of the iPhone X by Apple [62993, 62972].

Sources

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