| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The incident at TSB involving a botched IT "upgrade" and online banking meltdown indicates a recurring issue within the organization itself. The CEO mentioned that they are facing issues with their data centers, fiber-optic cables, and software layers, which are causing capacity constraints [70109]. This suggests that TSB has faced similar technical challenges in the past, leading to a repeated software failure incident within the organization.
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
There is no specific information in the provided articles indicating that a similar software failure incident has occurred at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident at TSB was related to the development phase, particularly in the design aspect. The incident was attributed to issues within the IT architecture, including capacity constraints caused by problems in the system's design and software layers [70109]. Additionally, error messages related to programming language Java and user authentication processes not scaling properly indicated underlying design flaws in the system [70109].
(b) The software failure incident at TSB also had implications related to the operation phase. Customers faced difficulties in accessing their accounts online, experiencing card declines, and being unable to make transactions, highlighting operational issues caused by the failure [70109]. Furthermore, the inability of small businesses to make payments to HMRC due to the IT meltdown showcased the operational impact on users trying to operate their businesses [70109]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident at TSB was primarily attributed to issues within the system itself. TSB's CEO mentioned that the IT meltdown was caused by issues within their architecture, such as capacity constraints and problems with user authentication processes [70109]. Additionally, error messages related to programming language Java and issues like NullPointerExceptions were being displayed to customers, indicating internal software issues [70109]. The CEO also mentioned that IBM experts were working to identify and resolve the issues within TSB's system [70109]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
- The software failure at TSB was attributed to issues within the IT architecture, specifically mentioning capacity constraints caused by issues within the datacentres, fiber-optic cables, and software layers [70109].
- Error messages related to BeanFactories and NullPointerExceptions were being displayed to users, indicating potential issues with user authentication processes not scaling properly [70109].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- TSB's CEO, Paul Pester, mentioned that he was unsure about the exact cause of the IT meltdown and had IBM experts working on identifying the issues within the IT architecture [70109].
- There were criticisms of TSB's handling of the situation, with concerns about the CEO's statements and tweets being nonsensical or factually incorrect, indicating potential human errors in communication and decision-making [70109].
- Customers and small businesses faced challenges accessing their accounts and making payments due to the IT meltdown, highlighting the impact of human actions on the failure incident [70109]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- Paul Pester mentioned that the IT meltdown was caused by issues within the bank's architecture involving data centers, fiber-optic cables, and layers of software, and he had IBM experts working to identify the specific hardware-related issues [70109].
- TSB's user authentication processes were suspected to not be scaling properly, leading to errors and issues for customers trying to access internet banking services, indicating a hardware-related scalability problem [70109].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- TSB experienced alarming error messages related to programming language Java and NullPointerExceptions, indicating software-related issues in the system [70109].
- The article mentions that TSB's online banking customers were facing issues due to software errors being displayed to users, suggesting software-related problems in the system [70109]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident at TSB appears to be non-malicious. The incident was attributed to a botched IT "upgrade" that caused an IT meltdown, preventing customers from accessing their accounts online [70109]. TSB's CEO mentioned that the specific issue causing the meltdown was related to capacity constraints within their IT architecture, which IBM experts were working to resolve [70109]. Additionally, error messages related to user authentication processes not scaling properly were observed, indicating technical issues rather than malicious intent [70109].
(b) The software failure incident at TSB does not seem to be malicious. The articles do not mention any intentional actions or malicious intent behind the IT meltdown. Instead, the focus is on technical issues, errors in the IT upgrade, and capacity constraints within the IT architecture as the primary causes of the failure [70109]. Customers and staff were affected by the incident, with efforts made to compensate customers for the inconvenience caused [70109]. HMRC also indicated understanding for small businesses unable to make payments due to the TSB IT meltdown, suggesting a non-malicious nature of the incident [70109]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident at TSB seems to have been caused by poor decisions. The article mentions that the primary blame for the IT "upgrade" fiasco lies with Banco Sabadell, TSB's parent company in Spain [70109]. Additionally, the TSB CEO, Paul Pester, has been criticized for his handling of the fallout from the botched IT upgrade, with some of his statements being nonsensical and factually wrong [70109].
(b) The software failure incident at TSB also seems to have been influenced by accidental decisions or mistakes. Paul Pester mentioned that he doesn't yet know exactly what caused the IT meltdown and has IBM experts working to identify the issues within the complex IT architecture [70109]. Additionally, there were reports of alarming error messages confusing customers, indicating potential mistakes in the software implementation [70109]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence:
- The TSB IT meltdown was attributed to issues in the architecture causing capacity constraints, with TSB's CEO mentioning the involvement of IBM experts to resolve the problem [70109].
- IT expert Simon Needham pointed out that TSB's user authentication processes weren't scaling properly, leading to errors visible to users [70109].
(b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally:
- TSB CEO Paul Pester mentioned that he didn't know exactly what caused the IT meltdown, indicating a lack of clarity on the specific issue [70109]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case seems to be temporary. TSB's CEO, Paul Pester, mentioned that IBM experts are working to identify and resolve the issues causing capacity constraints within the bank's IT architecture [70109]. Additionally, TSB is expecting the IBM team to fix the problems by Saturday, indicating that the disruption is not permanent and there is an expectation of recovery by the start of the next week [70109]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident mentioned in the articles can be associated with a crash behavior. Customers were unable to access their accounts online, indicating a system crash where the system lost its state and failed to perform its intended functions [70109].
(b) omission: The incident also involved omission behavior where the system omitted to perform its intended functions at instances. Customers faced issues such as not being able to make bank transfers or access their accounts, indicating instances where the system failed to perform as expected [70109].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of timing-related failures in the articles.
(d) value: The software failure incident can be linked to a value behavior where the system performed its intended functions incorrectly. For example, customers experienced issues with missing money from their accounts and were unable to make payments, indicating incorrect functioning of the system [70109].
(e) byzantine: The articles do not provide information suggesting a byzantine behavior in the software failure incident.
(f) other: The software failure incident also exhibited other behaviors such as displaying alarming error messages to customers, causing confusion and frustration. Additionally, the incident led to customers feeling embarrassed, panicked, and worried due to the system's failures, impacting their trust in the bank [70109]. |