| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to a privacy breach at Virgin Mobile seems to have happened again within the same organization. In 2012, a developer reported security concerns regarding Virgin Mobile USA's authentication process, highlighting the insecurity of using only numbers for PINs and limiting passwords to six digits, making it vulnerable to brute force attacks [Article 14457].
(b) There is no specific information in the provided articles about a similar software failure incident happening at other organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in Article #14457 where a developer highlighted the security vulnerability in Virgin Mobile USA's authentication process. The developer pointed out that the authentication process only allowed for users to input numbers as their account PIN, with the password limited to six numbers, making it insecure. The limited password options and the ease of brute-forcing the PIN numbers due to the lack of complexity in the password system were design flaws that put users at risk [14457].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be observed in Article #47277, where Virgin Mobile customers experienced a privacy breach when attempting to access their voicemail messages. Customers reported accessing the voicemail messages of other people without the system requesting any PINs for access. This operational failure led to a breach of privacy and security concerns for the customers [47277]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident at Virgin Mobile involving a privacy breach where customers were able to access other customers' voicemail messages and accounts seems to be a within-system failure. This is evident from the fact that the issue was related to the voicemail service of Virgin Mobile itself, indicating a failure originating from within the system [47277].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident reported by Kevin Burke regarding the insecure authentication process at Virgin Mobile USA, where users' PINs were limited to six numbers, can be considered as an outside-system failure. This is because the vulnerability stemmed from the design and implementation of the authentication process, which was not directly related to the internal functioning of the voicemail service itself [14457]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
- In the incident reported in Article 47277, the software failure occurred due to a privacy breach at Virgin Mobile where customers accessing their voicemail messages were instead getting access to the voicemail messages of other people. This issue allowed customers to hear strangers' voicemail messages, access voicemail account menus of others, or leave messages on a stranger's voicemail without requiring any PIN for access. This indicates a failure in the system's authentication and access control mechanisms, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information without human participation [47277].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- In the incident reported in Article 14457, the software failure was attributed to the authentication process implemented by Virgin Mobile USA. A developer, Kevin Burke, highlighted the insecurity in Virgin Mobile's authentication process, where users were only allowed to input numbers as their account PIN, limited to six numbers. Burke demonstrated the vulnerability by writing a script to 'brute force' the PIN number of his own account, showcasing the ease with which an attacker could gain unauthorized access due to the weak password policy set by the company. Additionally, Burke's attempts to alert Virgin Mobile to the problem were met with inadequate responses, indicating a failure in addressing security concerns raised by human actions [14457]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily related to a software issue rather than a hardware issue. The incidents include a privacy breach at Virgin Mobile where customers accessing voicemail messages were instead hearing strangers' voicemail messages, accessing other customers' accounts, or being directed to leave messages for strangers. This breach was due to a flaw in the software system that allowed unauthorized access to voicemail accounts without requiring PINs for authentication [47277].
(b) The software failure incident at Virgin Mobile was caused by software-related factors. For example, the authentication process at Virgin Mobile USA was criticized for its handling of usernames and passwords, which was deemed insecure. The software limitation of allowing only numbers as account PINs and restricting passwords to six numbers made it easy for hackers to brute force their way into accounts. This software flaw allowed potential unauthorized access to user data and account control [14457]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious, non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Virgin Mobile voicemail service can be categorized as malicious. The incident involved a privacy breach where customers accessing their voicemail messages were instead getting access to the voicemail messages of other people without the need for PINs. This breach allowed customers to hear strangers' voicemail messages, access their voicemail account menus, or leave messages on a stranger's voicemail [47277].
(b) Additionally, there was a non-malicious software failure incident reported by Kevin Burke regarding Virgin Mobile USA's authentication process. Burke highlighted the insecurity of the authentication system, where users were limited to inputting numbers as their account PIN and having a password limited to only six numbers, making it vulnerable to brute force attacks. Despite Burke's efforts to alert Virgin Mobile to the issue, the company did not take significant action to address the vulnerability [14457]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Virgin Mobile voicemail service breach can be attributed to poor decisions made in the design and implementation of the authentication process. The incident involved a significant privacy breach where customers accessing their voicemail were instead able to access other customers' voicemail messages without the need for a PIN [47277]. Additionally, a developer highlighted the poor security practices of Virgin Mobile USA, specifically criticizing the limited six-digit PIN and lack of robust password requirements, which made it easy for hackers to brute force their way into accounts [14457]. These poor decisions in the design of the authentication process contributed to the vulnerability and subsequent breach of customer privacy. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence can be seen in Article 14457 where a developer highlighted the security vulnerability in Virgin Mobile USA's authentication process. The developer criticized the company for allowing only numbers as account PINs and limiting passwords to six numbers, making it easy for hackers to brute force their way into accounts. Despite the developer's efforts to alert Virgin Mobile to the problem, the company did not take immediate action, showcasing a lack of professional competence in addressing the security flaw [14457].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors can be observed in Article 47277, where Virgin Mobile experienced a privacy breach that allowed customers to access other people's voicemail messages without requiring any PINs for authentication. This accidental flaw led to a significant breach of privacy and security, as customers were able to access strangers' voicemail accounts unintentionally [47277]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles seems to be temporary. In the incident involving Virgin Mobile, customers were experiencing a privacy breach where they could access other customers' voicemail messages without needing a PIN [47277]. Additionally, a developer highlighted a security vulnerability in Virgin Mobile USA's authentication process, where the PIN was limited to six numbers, making it easy for hackers to brute force their way into accounts [14457]. These incidents point towards temporary software failures caused by specific vulnerabilities in the system rather than permanent failures. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The incident reported in Article 47277 can be categorized as a crash. Virgin Mobile's voicemail service experienced a problem where customers attempting to access their voicemail messages were instead getting access to the voicemail messages of other people. This resulted in the system losing its intended state and not performing its function correctly, leading to a crash scenario [47277].
(b) omission: The incident reported in Article 14457 can be categorized as an omission. The developer, Kevin Burke, highlighted a security flaw in Virgin Mobile USA's authentication process where the system omitted to provide secure password protection. Users were only allowed to input numbers as their account PIN, and the password was limited to six numbers, leaving it vulnerable to brute force attacks. This omission to implement proper password security features led to the system not performing its intended function of ensuring secure authentication [14457].
(c) timing: There is no specific information in the articles to suggest that the software failure incident was related to timing issues.
(d) value: The incident reported in Article 47277 can be categorized as a value failure. The voicemail service failure at Virgin Mobile resulted in the system performing its intended function incorrectly by allowing customers to access other people's voicemail messages without requiring any PINs for access. This incorrect behavior compromised the privacy and security of the customers, indicating a value failure [47277].
(e) byzantine: There is no specific information in the articles to suggest that the software failure incident was related to byzantine behavior.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in the incidents is a security vulnerability. Both articles highlight security flaws in Virgin Mobile's systems that exposed customer data and compromised user privacy. These vulnerabilities can be considered as a distinct type of software failure behavior that involves system weaknesses and potential exploitation by malicious actors [47277, 14457]. |