| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident of a bug allowing people to log in without a password on a Mac has happened again within the same organization, Apple. In November, a similar serious flaw was found where anyone could log into a Mac with just the user name "root" and no password [67350]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 67350 can be attributed to the design phase. The incident involved a bug in Apple's software that allowed users to log into the App Store preferences on a Mac without requiring a password. This flaw was present in the High Sierra operating system version 10.13.2. The bug was confirmed by CNET by entering random keys into the password field, which resulted in unauthorized access to the App Store preferences. The issue only occurred when a Mac user was logged in with administrative privileges, highlighting a design flaw in the system's security implementation [67350].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 67350 does not directly point to a failure in the operation phase. The incident was more related to a design flaw in the software that allowed unauthorized access to the App Store preferences on a Mac. There is no indication in the article that the failure was caused by the operation or misuse of the system. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is within_system. The bug allowed individuals to log into App Store preferences on a Mac without requiring a password, only when the Mac user was logged in with administrative privileges. This flaw was specific to the App Store preferences and did not grant full control over the entire computer. The issue was confirmed on a Mac running High Sierra 10.13.2, and it was noted that the bug was no longer present in the next version of High Sierra (10.13.3) [67350]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was due to non-human actions. The bug allowed individuals to log into App Store preferences on a Mac without requiring a password, which was a flaw in the software itself. This issue occurred when a Mac user was logged in with administrative privileges, and no password was needed to make changes in the App Store preferences [67350]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 67350 is related to a software flaw in Apple's High Sierra operating system that allowed users to log into the App Store preferences without requiring a password. This issue was specific to the software and did not involve any hardware-related factors. The flaw allowed unauthorized access to the App Store preferences on a Mac running High Sierra 10.13.2, highlighting a software vulnerability rather than a hardware issue [67350]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. The bug allowed individuals to log into App Store preferences on a Mac without requiring a password, but it did not grant full control over the computer or provide access to sensitive information. The flaw was more of a nuisance or a minor security vulnerability rather than a malicious attack aimed at causing harm ([67350]). |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article was more related to accidental decisions rather than poor decisions. The incident involved a bug in Apple's software that allowed users to log into the App Store preferences on a Mac without requiring a password. This bug was not a deliberate poor decision by Apple but rather an unintended flaw in the system that allowed unauthorized access [67350]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence can be seen in the article [67350] where a bug in Apple's software allowed users to log into the App Store preferences on a Mac without requiring a password. This flaw occurred in the High Sierra operating system version 10.13.2. The incident highlighted a lack of professional competence in ensuring proper security measures within the software, as it allowed unauthorized access to sensitive areas of the computer without proper authentication.
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is evident in the same article [67350] where it was mentioned that the bug in the App Store preferences only occurred when a Mac user was logged in with administrative privileges. This accidental flaw allowed for unauthorized access to the App Store preferences without the need for a password, showcasing an unintentional vulnerability in the software system. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article is temporary. The article mentions that the issue of being able to log into the App Store preferences with any password only occurs on a Mac running High Sierra 10.13.2. CNET confirmed the bug by testing it on a Mac running the most recent High Sierra operating system (10.13.2) and found that they were able to log in with any password. However, when they checked on a Mac running the next version of High Sierra (10.13.3), which hadn't been released to the general public yet, they found that the issue was no longer present [67350]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article does not involve a crash. The issue allows unauthorized access to the App Store preferences without the need for a password, but it does not mention the system losing state or not performing any of its intended functions due to the bug.
(b) omission: The software failure incident can be categorized as an omission. It is a failure where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) by allowing access to the App Store preferences without the correct password. This omission compromises the security of the system by bypassing the authentication process [67350].
(c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to timing issues. It does not involve the system performing its intended functions too late or too early.
(d) value: The software failure incident is not directly related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. Instead, it allows unauthorized access to a specific feature (App Store preferences) without the correct password.
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit byzantine behavior. It does not involve inconsistent responses or interactions from the system.
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be described as a security vulnerability. It allows an attacker to bypass the authentication process and access the App Store preferences without the correct password, potentially compromising the user's system security [67350]. |