| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the security flaw in Microsoft's digital assistant Cortana allowing hackers to infect a computer running Windows 10 with a virus has happened again within the same organization. The incident was discovered by two independent Israeli security researchers, Tal Be'ery and Amichai Shulman, who found that Cortana responded to voice commands even when the computer was in sleep mode and locked. Microsoft has since resolved the issue by forcing all browsing through Cortana on a locked machine to go through its Bing search engine instead of directly to a web page. However, the researchers noted that Cortana still responds to other commands when locked, indicating a potential ongoing vulnerability within Microsoft's software [69259].
(b) The software failure incident related to the security flaw in Microsoft's Cortana could potentially impact other organizations or their products and services that utilize voice assistants with similar vulnerabilities. The incident highlighted the security risks associated with AI voice assistants like Cortana, Alexa, and Siri, which provide a convenient but also pose a new kind of security threat. The researchers developed a proof-of-concept tool called Newspeak to monitor Cortana requests and responses on all machines in a network, indicating that similar vulnerabilities could exist in other voice assistant systems used by different organizations [69259]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase:
The incident with Microsoft's digital assistant Cortana being vulnerable to a hack where attackers could exploit a security flaw by giving voice commands even when the computer is locked [69259].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase:
The incident with Cortana responding to voice commands even when the computer is in sleep mode and locked, allowing attackers to plug a USB with a network adapter and command Cortana to open the device's web browser and go to a specific web address, leading to potential malware downloads [69259]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 69259 falls under the category of within_system failure. The security flaw in Microsoft's digital assistant Cortana allowed hackers to infect a computer running Windows 10 with a virus by exploiting the voice commands feature even when the computer was locked [69259]. The flaw originated from within the system itself, specifically in how Cortana responded to voice commands even in sleep mode and locked state, enabling the installation of malware and launching of websites from the lock screen. The issue was related to the design and implementation of Cortana's functionality within the Windows 10 operating system. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to non-human actions. The security flaw in Microsoft's digital assistant Cortana allowed hackers to infect a computer running Windows 10 with a virus by exploiting the ability of Cortana to respond to voice commands even when the computer is locked. This flaw enabled attackers to connect a USB with a network adapter to the computer and command Cortana to open unencrypted and potentially dangerous websites, leading to malware installation and launching of malicious websites [69259]. The flaw was a result of the design and implementation of Cortana's functionality, rather than direct human actions.
(b) However, human actions also played a role in the incident. The researchers who discovered the security flaw, Tal Be'ery and Amichai Shulman, actively investigated and identified the vulnerability in Cortana's behavior. They conducted experiments to demonstrate how an attacker could exploit this flaw to compromise a computer's security. Additionally, Microsoft took action to resolve the issue after it was reported by the researchers, indicating human intervention in addressing the software failure incident [69259]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The incident involved a security flaw in Microsoft's digital assistant Cortana that allowed hackers to infect a computer running Windows 10 with a virus by exploiting the ability to connect a USB with a network adapter while the device is locked [69259].
- Attackers could connect the computer to a Wi-Fi network controlled by the attacker by clicking on a specific network, even when the computer is locked, showcasing a hardware-related vulnerability [69259].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The security flaw in Cortana that allowed the hack to occur was a software vulnerability in the way Cortana responded to voice commands even when the computer was in sleep mode and locked [69259].
- Microsoft resolved the issue by forcing all browsing done through Cortana and a locked machine to go through its Bing search engine, indicating a software fix to address the vulnerability [69259]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious, non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 69259 is malicious in nature. The incident involved a major security flaw in Microsoft's digital assistant Cortana that could be exploited by hackers to infect a computer running Windows 10 with a virus. The Israeli security researchers discovered that by giving simple voice commands, they could install malware and launch websites from the computer's lock screen, potentially leading to the download of malware onto the machine. The attackers could also force a Cortana session on other computers by playing a sound file on the infected computer's speakers, instructing Cortana on other computers to visit specific websites. This incident demonstrates a deliberate attempt to exploit a vulnerability in the system for malicious purposes [69259].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 69259 is also non-malicious in nature. It highlights a security flaw in Cortana's functionality that allowed the digital assistant to respond to voice commands even when the computer was in sleep mode and locked. This flaw was not intentionally introduced to harm the system but rather stemmed from a lack of thorough security analysis when implementing new interfaces into the system. The incident underscores the unintended consequences of introducing new features without fully considering the security implications, leading to potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers [69259]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident involving Microsoft's digital assistant Cortana being exploited by hackers to infect a computer with a virus can be attributed to poor decisions made in the design and implementation of Cortana's functionality. The incident was a result of Cortana responding to voice commands even when the computer was locked, allowing attackers to exploit this behavior to launch websites and install malware [69259]. This design flaw introduced a major security vulnerability that could be exploited by attackers, highlighting the consequences of poor decisions in software development. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the security flaw discovered by the Israeli researchers in Microsoft's digital assistant Cortana. The researchers found that Cortana responded to voice commands even when the computer was in sleep mode and locked, allowing for potential exploitation by hackers to install malware and launch websites from the lock screen [69259].
(b) The accidental aspect of the software failure incident is highlighted by the unintended consequence of Cortana's behavior when the computer is locked. Microsoft had not fully analyzed the security implications of Cortana's responsiveness to voice commands in locked mode, leading to the vulnerability that could be exploited by attackers [69259]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is more of a temporary nature. The incident involved a major security flaw in Microsoft's digital assistant Cortana that allowed hackers to infect a computer running Windows 10 with a virus by exploiting the voice commands feature even when the computer was locked [69259]. The security researchers discovered this flaw and Microsoft subsequently resolved the issue by making changes to how browsing is handled through Cortana on a locked machine. However, the researchers noted that Cortana still responds to other commands when the computer is locked, indicating that the issue is not permanently resolved. |
| Behaviour |
crash |
(a) crash: The software failure incident related to the Cortana security flaw can be categorized as a crash. The incident involved a vulnerability that allowed hackers to exploit Cortana to install malware and launch websites from a computer's lock screen, indicating a failure of the system losing state and not performing its intended functions [69259]. |