| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident of Facebook spamming people with text messages and posting their replies on their public profile due to using phone numbers provided for two-factor authentication has happened within the same organization. Software engineer Gabriel Lewis reported the issue after signing up for two-factor authentication on Facebook [67937].
(b) There is no specific information in the provided article about the software failure incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to the design phase. Facebook was using phone numbers provided for its two-factor authentication security feature to send unsolicited notifications about friends' posts, which led to users receiving spam messages and their replies being posted on their public profiles. This issue arose from the misuse of the phone numbers collected for security purposes, indicating a failure in the design aspect of the system [67937].
(b) Additionally, the incident can also be linked to the operation phase. Users reported receiving spam messages even though they had not opted-in to receive notifications via text. This indicates a failure in the operation of the system where users were being bombarded with unwanted messages, leading to privacy concerns and potential legal implications under the US Telephone Consumer Protection Act [67937]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is within_system. The issue arose from Facebook using phone numbers provided for its two-factor authentication security feature to send unsolicited notifications about friends' posts, leading to spamming users with text messages and posting their replies on their public profile [67937]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to non-human_actions. Facebook was spamming people with text messages and posting their replies on their public profile without the users' consent. This issue arose from Facebook using phone numbers provided for its two-factor authentication security feature to send unsolicited notifications about friends' posts, leading to privacy concerns among users [67937]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is primarily related to a software issue rather than a hardware issue. The incident involved Facebook using phone numbers provided for its two-factor authentication security feature to send unsolicited notifications about friends' posts, leading to users receiving spam messages and having their replies posted on their public profiles. This issue stemmed from how Facebook's software system handled the phone numbers and notifications, indicating a failure originating in the software rather than hardware [67937]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article can be categorized as malicious. Facebook was spamming people with text messages and then posting their replies on their public profile without the users' consent. This action was not only unsolicited but also violated users' privacy and security. The incident involved using phone numbers provided for two-factor authentication for sending unsolicited notifications about friends' posts, which can be considered a malicious act to boost traffic to the site [67937]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident:
The software failure incident reported in the article seems to be related to poor decisions made by Facebook. The incident involved Facebook using phone numbers provided for two-factor authentication (2FA) to send unsolicited notifications about friends' posts to users, leading to privacy concerns and user frustration. This action of using 2FA phone numbers for purposes other than authentication was criticized as prioritizing "engagement" over people's safety and security, indicating a questionable decision by Facebook's growth and engagement team [67937]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article could be attributed to development incompetence. The incident involved Facebook using phone numbers provided for two-factor authentication to send unsolicited notifications about friends' posts via text messages, even to users who had not opted-in to receive such notifications [67937]. This action was described as 'poisonous and harmful' by an expert, indicating a lack of professional competence in handling user data and privacy. Additionally, the misuse of 2FA phone numbers for purposes other than authentication was criticized as prioritizing engagement over people's safety and security, highlighting a potential lack of professional competence in decision-making regarding user data [67937]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 67937 can be categorized as a temporary failure. The incident involved Facebook sending unsolicited notifications via text messages to users, specifically using phone numbers provided for two-factor authentication (2FA) without the users' consent. This issue was reported to have affected users in the US, with no reports from European or UK users at that time. Users like Gabriel Lewis received these spam messages despite not opting in for such notifications. The problem started after Mr. Lewis signed up for 2FA on December 17, and the spamming began on January 5. Additionally, other users also reported similar issues with the 2FA texts. Facebook mentioned they were looking into the situation to improve user control over notifications, indicating that the incident was not a permanent failure but rather a temporary one caused by specific circumstances [67937]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. Users reported receiving unsolicited text messages from Facebook despite not opting in for notifications via text. This behavior can be considered a crash as the system lost control over the notifications feature, leading to the unintended behavior of spamming users with messages [67937].
(b) omission: The incident can also be categorized as an omission. Users did not receive the expected functionality of the two-factor authentication system, which is supposed to provide an additional layer of security for logging into accounts. In this case, the system omitted to perform its intended function of only sending authentication notifications and instead sent unsolicited notifications about friends' posts [67937].
(c) timing: There is no indication in the article that the software failure incident can be categorized as a timing issue. The problem primarily stemmed from the system sending unsolicited notifications rather than a delay in performing its functions [67937].
(d) value: The incident does not align with a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. Instead, the issue lies in the system sending notifications that users did not sign up for, rather than incorrectly executing the intended functions [67937].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue primarily revolves around the system sending unsolicited notifications, which is a clear deviation from expected behavior, rather than exhibiting inconsistent or conflicting responses [67937].
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited in this software failure incident is the system posting users' replies to the unsolicited text messages on their public profiles. This behavior goes beyond just sending unwanted notifications and involves a privacy violation where user responses were made public without their consent, showcasing a breach in user privacy and system functionality [67937]. |