| Recurring |
multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities impacted various organizations, including Branch, a mobile services company. Branch's engineering team noticed slowdowns and errors with its Amazon Web Services cloud servers, which were attributed to the performance impact of the Spectre and Meltdown patches applied by AWS [67142].
(b) The Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities affected a wide range of organizations beyond Branch. For example, Microsoft reported that consumer devices with processors from 2015 or earlier running Windows 7, 8, and 10 would experience slowdowns due to the patches. Additionally, Intel acknowledged that its patches for older Broadwell and Haswell processors were causing more random reboots than usual. Epic Games also detailed patch-related performance declines in the popular game Fortnite due to updates required to mitigate the vulnerabilities [67142]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the incident where the engineering team at Branch faced slowdowns and errors with their Amazon Web Services cloud servers. The unexpected round of AWS server reboots in December and subsequent server slowdowns were initially challenging to diagnose. The team spent days eliminating possibilities but was unable to find a root cause, leading to the realization that the issues were potentially due to underlying performance issues caused by the Spectre and Meltdown patches being applied by AWS [67142].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the performance impact experienced by users after the deployment of Meltdown and Spectre patches. Microsoft reported that consumer devices with older processors running Windows 7, 8, and 10 were more likely to exhibit slowdowns. Windows Server on any silicon, especially in IO-intensive applications, showed a significant performance impact after enabling the mitigations. Additionally, Microsoft had to pause distribution of its patches for certain AMD processors due to flaws in the patches caused by inaccuracies in AMD's chip documentation. Intel also admitted that its patches for older processors were causing more random reboots than usual, indicating operational challenges post-patch deployment [67142]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident described in the articles was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. Specifically, the incident was related to the slowdowns and errors experienced by the mobile services company Branch on its Amazon Web Services cloud servers. The root cause was initially challenging to identify, with the engineering team spending days eliminating possibilities within their system. It was later hypothesized that the performance issues were linked to the application of Spectre and Meltdown patches by AWS, which impacted the system's operations [67142].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident was also influenced by contributing factors that originated from outside the system. The incident was triggered by the unexpected round of AWS server reboots, which were part of the broader industry response to the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities affecting mainstream computing processors. The patches applied by AWS, which were intended to address these vulnerabilities, inadvertently led to performance issues within Branch's system, highlighting the external impact on the software failure incident [67142]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
The software failure incident discussed in the articles was primarily attributed to the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities, which were caused by design choices made by chipmakers to prioritize performance over security. These vulnerabilities allowed for data leakage between programs and required extensive patches to mitigate the risks. The incident was not directly caused by human actions but rather by inherent flaws in the design of the processors [67142].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
While the software failure incident itself was not directly caused by human actions, the response to the incident involved significant human actions. For example, the efforts to develop and deploy patches, the coordination among various companies and organizations to address the vulnerabilities, and the challenges faced in managing the performance impact of the patches all required human intervention and decision-making [67142]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware can be attributed to the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities exist due to chipmakers prioritizing performance and speed over security, which led to data leakage between programs [67142].
(b) The software failure incident related to software can be seen in the challenges faced by companies in applying and managing the patches for Meltdown and Spectre. The complexity of these patches, particularly for Spectre, which is more a class of vulnerability than a specific bug, has created a strain on the industry. Additionally, issues such as flawed patches causing machines to brick and random reboots have been reported, impacting performance [67142]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident discussed in the articles is non-malicious. The incident was related to the slowdowns and errors experienced by the mobile services company Branch on its Amazon Web Services cloud servers. The root cause was identified as an underlying performance issue due to the Spectre and Meltdown patches being applied by AWS [67142]. The incident was a result of the unintended consequences of the patches affecting the system's performance, rather than a deliberate act to harm the system. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities can be attributed to poor decisions made by chipmakers over the years to prioritize performance and speed at the expense of security. This prioritization led to vulnerabilities that could be exploited to leak data between programs [67142]. The article highlights how the fixes for Meltdown and Spectre slowed down certain operations, impacting performance, and security. The complexity of applying and managing the patches, particularly for Spectre, has created a strain on the industry [67142].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to accidental decisions or unintended consequences. The article mentions that the unexpected round of AWS server reboots in December struck the director of engineering at Branch as odd, leading to a series of server slowdowns and errors later on. The team initially struggled to identify the root cause of the issues, eventually realizing that the problems were related to underlying performance issues due to the Spectre and Meltdown patches being applied by AWS [67142]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident mentioned in the articles can be attributed to development incompetence. The incident was related to the slowdowns and errors experienced by the mobile services company Branch on their Amazon Web Services cloud servers. The team at Branch struggled to identify the root cause of the issues, spending days eliminating possibilities without success. It was later hypothesized that the problems were due to an underlying performance issue resulting from the Spectre and Meltdown patches applied by AWS [67142].
(b) The software failure incident can also be considered accidental as it was a result of unexpected consequences of applying the Spectre and Meltdown patches by AWS. The slowdowns and errors experienced by Branch were not intentionally caused but rather a side effect of the security patches applied to address vulnerabilities in mainstream computing processors [67142]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles was more of a temporary nature. It was caused by the application of the Spectre and Meltdown patches by AWS, which led to unexpected server reboots and subsequent slowdowns and errors in the system [67142]. The incident was not a permanent failure but rather a result of specific circumstances introduced by the application of these patches. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, timing, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles can be related to a crash. The incident involved unexpected slowdowns and errors with Amazon Web Services cloud servers, leading to a situation where the engineering team at Branch had to work intensively to identify the root cause of the issue. Despite their efforts, they were unable to find a definitive cause, and the team felt like they were chasing a non-existent bug in the system, indicating a failure due to the system losing state and not performing its intended functions [67142].
(b) omission: The incident can also be related to omission. The article mentions that the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities were a result of chipmakers prioritizing performance and speed over security for years, leading to a situation where certain operations were slowed down due to the fixes applied to address the vulnerabilities. This slowdown can be seen as a failure of the system to perform its intended functions at the expected speed [67142].
(c) timing: The software failure incident can be linked to timing as well. The article discusses how the fixes for the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities impacted the performance of systems, particularly for programs that required a lot of requests to the kernel. The delays caused by applying and managing the patches created a strain on the industry, indicating a failure due to the system performing its intended functions correctly but either too late or too early [67142].
(d) value: The incident can be associated with a failure related to value. The article mentions that the fixes for the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities resulted in a performance impact, with older processors experiencing more significant losses compared to newer ones. This indicates a failure of the system to perform its intended functions correctly, leading to a decrease in value in terms of performance [67142].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not align with a byzantine behavior as described in the articles.
(f) other: The incident can be categorized under the "other" behavior as well. The article highlights how the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities had a widespread impact on various systems, including consumer devices, servers, and cloud platforms. The performance issues caused by the patches led to slowdowns, random reboots, and service disruptions, showcasing a failure of the system in a way not specifically described in the options provided [67142]. |