Incident: Huddle's Security Flaw Exposed KPMG and BBC Files

Published Date: 2017-11-13

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident happened between March and November of the year the article was published [65292]. Estimation: Step 1: The article mentions that the incident occurred between March and November of the year. Step 2: The article was published on 2017-11-13. Step 3: Based on the information provided, the software failure incident occurred between March and November of 2017.
System 1. Huddle's sign-in process system [65292]
Responsible Organization 1. Huddle software - The software flaw that led to the exposure of private documents from KPMG and the BBC was caused by a bug in Huddle's system [65292].
Impacted Organization 1. KPMG [65292] 2. BBC [65292]
Software Causes 1. The software flaw in Huddle was caused by a bug in the system that affected six individual user sessions between March and November [65292]. 2. During the Huddle sign-in process, if two people arrived on the same login server within 20 milliseconds of one another, they would both be issued the same authorization code, leading to the security vulnerability [65292]. 3. This flaw allowed a BBC journalist to be inadvertently signed in to a KPMG account, exposing private financial documents [65292].
Non-software Causes 1. Lack of proper authentication and authorization processes during the sign-in process [65292]. 2. Human error in the design and implementation of the authentication system, leading to the exposure of private documents [65292]. 3. Insufficient testing of the system to identify flaws in the authorization code generation process [65292].
Impacts 1. Private financial documents of KPMG were exposed to a BBC journalist, leading to a breach of sensitive information [65292]. 2. A third party was able to access one of the BBC's Huddle accounts, potentially compromising confidential data [65292]. 3. The flaw in Huddle's system allowed for unauthorized access to private documents, invoices, and address books, raising concerns about data security and privacy [65292].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough testing procedures to identify and address vulnerabilities in the software [65292]. 2. Conducting regular security audits and assessments to proactively identify and mitigate potential security flaws [65292]. 3. Enforcing strict access controls and authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information [65292]. 4. Implementing multi-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security during the login process [unknown]. 5. Providing comprehensive training to users on secure practices and potential risks associated with using the software [unknown].
Fixes 1. Implementing a system where every time the software is invoked, it generates a new authorization code to prevent simultaneous issuance of the same code [65292].
References 1. Huddle company statement [65292] 2. Prof Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey [65292] 3. BBC correspondent who discovered the flaw [65292]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization, multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident related to Huddle exposing private documents due to a security flaw had happened again within the same organization. Huddle disclosed that the bug had affected "six individual user sessions between March and November" of that year. Additionally, Huddle mentioned that a third party had accessed one of the BBC's Huddle accounts. This indicates that the incident occurred multiple times within the same organization [65292]. (b) The incident also involved multiple organizations as the BBC journalist was inadvertently signed in to a KPMG account, exposing private financial documents. This breach affected both KPMG and the BBC, showcasing a security flaw that impacted multiple organizations [65292].
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in the article was related to the design phase. The flaw in the Huddle software that led to private documents being exposed to unauthorized parties was due to a security vulnerability in the system. Specifically, during the Huddle sign-in process, if two people arrived on the same login server within 20 milliseconds of one another, they would both be issued the same authorization code, leading to the unauthorized access issue [65292]. (b) The software failure incident was not related to the operation phase or misuse of the system.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident with Huddle was due to a flaw within the system itself. The issue was related to the sign-in process where the authorisation code was not unique, leading to multiple users being issued the same code and potentially accessing each other's accounts unintentionally. Huddle addressed this by changing its system to generate a new authorisation code every time it is invoked to prevent such incidents from occurring again [65292]. (b) outside_system: There is no specific information in the articles indicating that the software failure incident was caused by contributing factors originating from outside the system.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case occurred due to non-human actions. The flaw in the Huddle collaboration tool led to private documents being exposed to unauthorized parties without direct human involvement in causing the flaw. The issue was related to the generation of authorization codes during the sign-in process, where if two people arrived on the same login server within a short timeframe, they would both be issued the same authorization code, leading to the security vulnerability [65292].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident in this case occurred due to a hardware-related issue. The flaw was related to the authentication process where the customer's device requests an authorization code. If two people arrived on the same login server within 20 milliseconds of one another, they would both be issued the same authorization code, leading to the security vulnerability [65292]. (b) The software failure incident also had contributing factors originating in the software itself. The bug in Huddle's system allowed for the authentication issue to occur, where the same authorization code could be issued to multiple users, resulting in unauthorized access to private documents [65292].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident in this case was non-malicious. The flaw in Huddle's system that led to private documents being exposed was due to a bug in the software, specifically related to the authorisation code generation process. This bug allowed unauthorized access to sensitive information without any malicious intent mentioned in the articles [65292].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the exposure of private documents in Huddle was primarily due to poor decisions made in the software design and implementation process. The flaw in the Huddle system allowed for unauthorized access to sensitive information, indicating a failure in ensuring proper security measures were in place [65292]. Additionally, the issue stemmed from a specific flaw in the Huddle sign-in process where the generation of authorization codes led to the exposure of private documents, highlighting a critical oversight in the system's design [65292].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident in this case was not explicitly attributed to development incompetence. The flaw in the Huddle software that led to private documents being exposed was due to a bug in the system's authentication process, where two users arriving on the same login server within a short timeframe could be issued the same authorization code, leading to unauthorized access [65292]. (b) The software failure incident was accidental in nature. The exposure of private documents from KPMG and the BBC was not intentional but occurred due to a security flaw in the Huddle collaboration tool. The incident was discovered when a BBC journalist was inadvertently signed in to a KPMG account, gaining access to sensitive financial documents. Additionally, a third party also accessed one of the BBC's Huddle accounts [65292].
Duration temporary The software failure incident reported in Article 65292 was temporary. The incident occurred due to a security flaw in the Huddle collaboration tool that led to private documents being exposed to unauthorized parties. This flaw affected "six individual user sessions between March and November this year" out of "4.96 million log-ins to Huddle occurring over the same time period" [65292]. The incident was caused by a specific bug in the system that allowed for unauthorized access under certain circumstances, rather than being a permanent failure affecting all users continuously.
Behaviour other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The issue was related to unauthorized access to private documents due to a security flaw in the system [65292]. (b) omission: The software failure incident does not involve omission where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, the incident was about unauthorized access to private documents due to a security flaw in the system [65292]. (c) timing: The software failure incident does not involve timing issues where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The issue was related to unauthorized access to private documents due to a security flaw in the system [65292]. (d) value: The software failure incident does not involve a value issue where the system performs its intended functions incorrectly. Instead, the incident was about unauthorized access to private documents due to a security flaw in the system [65292]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not involve a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue was related to unauthorized access to private documents due to a security flaw in the system [65292]. (f) other: The software failure incident involved a security flaw in the system that led to private documents being exposed to unauthorized parties. The flaw allowed a BBC journalist to be inadvertently signed in to a KPMG account, gaining access to private financial documents. The incident was related to a bug in the Huddle software that allowed for unauthorized access to sensitive information [65292].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property (d) Property: The software failure incident led to private financial documents being exposed to unauthorized parties, impacting the security and confidentiality of sensitive information belonging to organizations like KPMG and the BBC [65292].
Domain information, finance, government (a) The software failure incident involving Huddle affected the production and distribution of information. The flaw in Huddle's system led to private financial documents being exposed to unauthorized parties, highlighting the importance of secure content collaboration tools in safeguarding sensitive information [65292]. (b) No information provided in the articles about transportation industry. (c) No information provided in the articles about natural resources industry. (d) No information provided in the articles about sales industry. (e) No information provided in the articles about construction industry. (f) No information provided in the articles about manufacturing industry. (g) No information provided in the articles about utilities industry. (h) The software failure incident involving Huddle had implications for the finance industry as private financial documents were exposed due to the security flaw in the system. KPMG, a financial services company, was one of the organizations affected by this incident [65292]. (i) No information provided in the articles about knowledge industry. (j) No information provided in the articles about health industry. (k) No information provided in the articles about entertainment industry. (l) The software failure incident involving Huddle had implications for the government sector. Government entities such as the Home Office, Cabinet Office, Revenue & Customs, and branches of the NHS were using Huddle to share documents, diaries, and messages. The exposure of sensitive information raised concerns about the security of data shared within government organizations [65292]. (m) No information provided in the articles about other industries.

Sources

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