| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The TSB online banking chaos incident reported in Article 71025 is an example of a software failure incident that happened within the same organization. This incident involved millions of customers being locked out of their accounts, wrong balances being displayed, access to other customers' accounts, and issues with online and mobile services after a system upgrade. TSB's CEO apologized for the chaos and promised compensation to affected customers, indicating a significant failure within the organization's software systems [71025].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
There is no specific information in the provided articles about a similar software failure incident happening again at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 71025 was primarily due to issues related to the design phase of the system. The chaos and problems faced by TSB's online banking system were a result of a system upgrade that led to disaster, causing millions of customers to be locked out of their accounts or have incorrect balances. Customers reported seeing obscene account balances, being able to access other customers' accounts, view sensitive personal information, and even transfer funds. These issues were a direct result of the system upgrade and the associated design flaws introduced during the development process [71025].
(b) Additionally, the software failure incident in Article 71025 also involved failures related to the operation phase of the system. Customers faced difficulties in accessing their accounts, making bill payments, or withdrawing cash due to the operational issues caused by the system upgrade. Many customers reported being unable to contact TSB for assistance, being put on hold for hours, and experiencing delays in resolving their account access problems. These operational challenges contributed to the overall chaos and disruption experienced by TSB's customers [71025]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily within_system. The failure was caused by a system upgrade that led to disastrous consequences for TSB's online banking services. Customers experienced issues such as being locked out of their accounts, seeing incorrect balances, accessing other customers' accounts, and being unable to make transactions or withdraw cash ([71025]). The CEO of TSB, Paul Pester, acknowledged the failures within the system and apologized for the chaos caused by the online banking issues. He mentioned that the bank's computer systems were not powerful enough to cope with the numbers of users logging on, leading to the inability to access online accounts ([71025]).
(b) Additionally, there were contributing factors outside the system that exacerbated the software failure incident. For example, customers faced challenges in reaching TSB for support, with reports of being unable to get through or being put on hold for hours when trying to contact the bank about the issues ([71025]). The external impact of the failure is evident in the experiences of customers like Lee MacDonald, whose locksmith business was paralyzed due to the reliance on TSB's online banking service, leading to the inability to pay staff or suppliers and resulting in canceled jobs and deliveries ([71025]). |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 71025 was primarily due to non-human actions. The failure occurred after a system upgrade led to disaster, causing millions of customers to be locked out of their accounts or have incorrect balances. Issues included customers being able to access other customers' accounts, view sensitive personal information, and even transfer funds. The CEO mentioned that the online and mobile services needed to be taken down to resolve the issues, indicating a technical problem rather than a human error [71025].
(b) However, human actions also played a role in exacerbating the software failure incident. Customers reported seeing obscene account balances, some owing large amounts of money, and being locked out of their accounts for days. Additionally, the CEO faced criticism for his handling of the crisis, resorting to jargon to explain the IT meltdown and facing ridicule for claiming everything was running smoothly for most customers. Customers on Twitter accused the bank of failing to act quickly enough in response to the issues, highlighting potential shortcomings in human decision-making and communication during the incident [71025]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The TSB online banking chaos was caused by a system upgrade that led to disaster, resulting in millions of customers being locked out of their accounts or having wrong balances [71025].
- Customers reported seeing obscene account balances, some owing large amounts, such as $83,000 to $13,000,000, even though their accounts are in pounds [71025].
- Issues included being able to access other customers' accounts, view sensitive personal information, and transfer funds due to the system upgrade [71025].
- The upgrade window was scheduled between Friday at 4 pm and Sunday at 6 pm, but there were still 'intermittent issues' with mobile and internet banking services [71025].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The TSB CEO mentioned that the online and mobile services would be taken down to resolve the issues, indicating a software-related problem [71025].
- Customers faced issues with access to digital services, leading to the decision to take the mobile app and online banking down for a few hours to address the problems [71025].
- Customers reported being unable to access their money, make payments, or withdraw cash due to the software issues [71025].
- The TSB social media team received complaints from customers about being able to see other people's accounts after logging back in, highlighting a software-related breach [71025]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious, non-malicious |
From the provided articles, the software failure incident at TSB can be categorized as both malicious and non-malicious:
(a) Malicious:
- Customers reported being able to access other customers' accounts, view sensitive personal information, and even transfer funds, indicating a potential breach of data security [71025].
- Some customers saw obscene account balances, with amounts ranging from $83,000 to over $13,000,000, which could be considered as a malicious act to disrupt the system [71025].
(b) Non-malicious:
- The incident was primarily attributed to a system upgrade that led to chaos, with millions of customers locked out of their accounts or experiencing wrong balances [71025].
- CEO Paul Pester mentioned that the issues were specific to the digital channels and were related to the platform's bandwidth not being able to cope with the number of users, rather than a data breach [71025]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident at TSB was primarily due to poor_decisions. The chaos in the online banking system was a result of a system upgrade that led to disastrous consequences, including customers being locked out of their accounts, seeing incorrect balances, accessing other customers' accounts, and facing issues with transferring funds [71025]. The CEO, Paul Pester, faced criticism for the bank's response to the crisis, and customers expressed outrage over the situation, highlighting the poor decisions made in handling the system upgrade and its aftermath. Additionally, the CEO's explanation about the IT meltdown and the inability of the bank's computers to cope with the demand from customers logging on online further indicates poor decision-making in system management [71025]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 71025 was primarily due to development incompetence. TSB's online banking chaos, where customers were locked out of their accounts, saw wrong balances, and were able to access other customers' accounts, was a result of a system upgrade that led to disaster. CEO Paul Pester apologized for the chaos and mentioned that the level of service provided was not up to the standard expected from TSB [71025].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 71025 also had elements of accidental factors contributing to the failure. Customers reported seeing obscene account balances, being able to view sensitive personal information of other customers, and even transfer funds. These issues were not intentional but occurred due to the system upgrade causing unexpected glitches and faults in the online banking system [71025]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 71025 was temporary. The incident involved a system upgrade that led to chaos in TSB's online banking services, causing millions of customers to be locked out of their accounts or have incorrect balances for several days. The CEO mentioned that the online and mobile services would be taken down temporarily to address the issues and hopefully be back up later in the afternoon. Customers reported being unable to access their accounts, seeing incorrect balances, accessing other customers' accounts, and facing difficulties in making payments or withdrawing cash. The bank acknowledged the issues and apologized to customers for the disruption caused by the software failure incident [71025]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in Article 71025 resulted in a crash as customers were locked out of their accounts, had wrong balances, and were unable to access online and mobile services after a system upgrade led to disaster [71025].
(b) omission: The software failure incident in Article 71025 involved omission as customers reported issues such as being unable to access their accounts, seeing wrong balances, and facing difficulties in making bill payments or withdrawing cash [71025].
(c) timing: The software failure incident in Article 71025 did not specifically mention timing-related failures.
(d) value: The software failure incident in Article 71025 included a value-related failure where customers saw incorrect and obscene account balances, some owing large amounts of money, and others being credited with more money than they should have had in their accounts [71025].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident in Article 71025 did not exhibit byzantine behavior.
(f) other: The software failure incident in Article 71025 also involved customers being able to access other customers' accounts, view sensitive personal information, and even transfer funds, indicating a breach of data protection and privacy [71025]. |