| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software being exploited by Russian hackers to search for American intelligence programs is a case of a software failure incident happening within the same organization. The incident involved Israeli intelligence officers hacking into Kaspersky's network and uncovering evidence of Russian government hackers using the software to scan for sensitive information [64142].
(b) The incident also highlights a software failure incident that has occurred at multiple organizations, as it mentions that more than |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the case of the Kaspersky antivirus software. The incident involved Israeli intelligence officers hacking into Kaspersky's network and discovering that Russian government hackers were exploiting the software to search for sensitive information on computers worldwide. This incident highlighted a flaw in the design of the antivirus software, which allowed for unauthorized access and exploitation by malicious actors [64142].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the misuse of the Kaspersky antivirus software by Russian government hackers. They leveraged the software's routine scanning and reporting capabilities to conduct espionage and gather classified information from various government agencies, including the National Security Agency. This misuse of the software during its operation phase led to a breach of sensitive data and raised concerns about the security risks associated with using Kaspersky products [64142]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident involving Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. The incident involved the exploitation of Kaspersky's antivirus software by Russian government hackers to scan for and retrieve sensitive information from computers around the world, including those of American intelligence agencies [64142]. The incident highlighted how the routine procedure of antivirus software, which requires access to everything stored on a computer to scan for malware, was manipulated by Russian intelligence to conduct espionage and steal classified documents [64142].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident also had contributing factors that originated from outside the system. Specifically, Israeli intelligence officers hacked into Kaspersky's network, which was an external factor, to uncover the Russian intrusion and inform the United States about the breach [64142]. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security ordered all federal executive branch agencies to stop using Kaspersky products due to information security risks presented by the software, indicating external concerns about the software's potential vulnerabilities [64142]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions. The incident involved Russian government hackers exploiting Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software as a tool to search for sensitive information on computers worldwide, including those of American intelligence agencies [64142]. The hackers used the software's routine procedure of scanning for malware to access and retrieve classified documents and other sensitive information without direct human involvement in the software's design or operation.
(b) However, human actions also played a role in this incident. Israeli intelligence officers had hacked into Kaspersky's network and discovered the Russian intrusion, leading to the alerting of the United States about the breach. Additionally, there were concerns about potential complicity or infiltration within Kaspersky Lab by its founder, Eugene V. Kaspersky, or other employees in facilitating the hacking activities [64142]. These human actions, whether intentional or unintentional, contributed to the overall software failure incident. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is not directly attributed to hardware issues. The incident primarily revolves around the exploitation of Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software by Russian government hackers to conduct cyber espionage activities [64142].
(b) The software failure incident is related to software issues. The incident involved the misuse of Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software by Russian government hackers to search for sensitive information on computers worldwide, including those of American intelligence agencies. This exploitation of the software allowed the hackers to conduct espionage activities and steal classified documents [64142]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is malicious in nature. It involved Russian government hackers exploiting Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software to search for sensitive information on computers worldwide, including those of American intelligence programs [64142]. The incident was part of a broader Russian intrusion campaign to steal classified documents and American secrets by turning the Kaspersky software into a tool for espionage [64142].
(b) The incident was not non-malicious as it was a deliberate act by Russian intelligence to exploit the security software for their espionage activities, indicating malicious intent [64142]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
The intent of the software failure incident described in the articles is related to poor_decisions. The incident involved the exploitation of Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software by Russian government hackers to search for American intelligence programs [64142]. This exploitation was made possible due to the routine procedure of antivirus software requiring access to everything stored on a computer, which provided a perfect tool for Russian intelligence to exploit and survey the contents of computers [64142]. Additionally, there were concerns and suspicions for years that Kaspersky's popular antivirus software might provide a backdoor for Russian intelligence, leading to the ban of its use at the National Security Agency [64142]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the case of the Russian hacking incident involving Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software. Israeli intelligence officers hacked into Kaspersky's network and discovered Russian government hackers exploiting the software to search for American intelligence programs [64142]. This incident highlights the potential consequences of design flaws or vulnerabilities introduced during the development of the software, leading to a breach of sensitive information.
(b) The accidental aspect of the software failure incident is also notable in the same case. The breach involving Kaspersky's software was not intentional on the part of the software company. Kaspersky Lab denied any knowledge or involvement in the Russian hacking, emphasizing that they never intended to assist any government in cyberespionage efforts [64142]. This accidental misuse of the software by Russian intelligence hackers showcases how unintended consequences can arise from the exploitation of software vulnerabilities. |
| Duration |
permanent, temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case appears to be permanent. The incident involved a breach in Kaspersky Lab's network by Israeli intelligence officers, which led to the discovery of Russian government hackers using Kaspersky's antivirus software to search for sensitive information on computers worldwide [64142]. This breach ultimately resulted in the decision to order the removal of Kaspersky software from government computers [64142].
(b) The software failure incident could also be considered temporary in the sense that the breach was discovered and actions were taken to address the issue. The Department of Homeland Security ordered all federal executive branch agencies to stop using Kaspersky products and gave them 90 days to remove the software [64142]. This indicates a temporary phase where the software was still in use but with a deadline for removal. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The incident involving Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software being exploited by Russian hackers to search for sensitive information on computers worldwide did not result in a crash of the system. Instead, the software was used as a tool by the hackers to scan and retrieve data of interest without causing the system to lose state or stop functioning [64142].
(b) omission: The software failure incident related to Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software being used by Russian hackers to search for American intelligence programs did not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The software was manipulated to scan for and retrieve specific information, rather than omitting any intended functions [64142].
(c) timing: The incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions too late or too early. The exploitation of Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software by Russian hackers was focused on using the software's routine scanning capabilities to search for and extract sensitive information in real-time, rather than being related to timing issues [64142].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be categorized under the value behavior. The incident involved the system performing its intended functions incorrectly by allowing Russian hackers to exploit the software to search for and retrieve classified documents and sensitive information from various government agencies, including the National Security Agency [64142].
(e) byzantine: The incident did not exhibit the byzantine behavior, which involves the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. In this case, the exploitation of Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software by Russian hackers was a deliberate and coordinated effort to use the software as a tool for scanning and retrieving specific information [64142].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a security breach. The incident involved the compromise of sensitive information and classified documents due to the exploitation of Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software by Russian hackers, highlighting a significant security vulnerability in the software [64142]. |