| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident of Amazon's Alexa device recording and sending a private conversation happened again within the same organization. This incident involved an Echo device recording a conversation and sending it to a random number in the user's address book without permission, leading to a privacy invasion for the user [71241]. Amazon acknowledged this incident as an extremely rare occurrence and provided an explanation for why Alexa forwarded the conversation, attributing it to a series of mishaps [71241].
(b) There is no information in the provided article about a similar 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. The incident occurred due to a series of events where the Echo device mistakenly interpreted background conversations as commands to record and send a message. This design flaw led to the device recording a private conversation and sending it to a random contact without the users' consent. The company explained that the device woke up due to a word in the background conversation sounding like 'Alexa,' triggering a chain of events that resulted in the privacy breach [71241].
(b) Additionally, the software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. The incident was exacerbated by the operation of the device in the users' home environment. The device misinterpreted background conversations as commands due to the way it was being used in the household, leading to the unauthorized recording and sharing of a private conversation. This highlights the impact of how users interact with and operate the system, contributing to the failure in this case [71241]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in the article is related to a boundary within the system. The incident occurred due to the Echo device mistakenly interpreting background conversation as a command to send a message, leading to the recording and sending of a private conversation without permission [71241].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident can also be attributed to factors outside the system. In this case, the incident involved a breach of privacy where the recorded conversation was sent to a random number in the user's address book without their consent, indicating a breach from an external source [71241]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was related to non-human actions. The incident occurred when the Amazon Echo device mistakenly woke up due to a word in the background conversation sounding like 'Alexa'. Subsequently, the device interpreted the conversation as a 'send message' request and proceeded to send a private conversation to a random number in the user's address book without human intervention [71241].
(b) The software failure incident in the article was also influenced by human actions. The incident was triggered by the users, Danielle and her husband, engaging in a private conversation that was inadvertently recorded by the Amazon Echo device. Additionally, the human action of having contacts in the address book contributed to the device sending the recorded conversation to a random number [71241]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was not directly attributed to hardware issues. The incident with the Amazon Alexa device recording and sending a private conversation was explained as a series of events where the device misinterpreted background conversation as commands to send a message to a contact in the user's address book [71241].
(b) The software failure incident in the article was primarily attributed to software issues. The malfunction that led to the Alexa device recording and sending a private conversation was described as a chain of events where the software misinterpreted background conversation as commands to send a message, demonstrating a flaw in the software's behavior [71241]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is malicious in nature. It involved an Amazon Echo device recording a private conversation between a user and her husband without their permission and then sending it to a random number in their address book. This incident was described as a privacy invasion and a hack by the user's husband's colleague who warned them to unplug the Alexa devices as they were being hacked [71241]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The incident involving the Amazon Echo device recording and sending a private conversation was attributed to a series of events where the device misinterpreted background conversation as commands to send a message to a contact in the user's address book. This chain of events was described as highly improbable, indicating potential design flaws or poor decisions in the software's behavior recognition and response mechanisms [71241].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- The incident with the Amazon Echo device recording and sending a private conversation was described as an extremely rare occurrence by Amazon. The company explained that the device woke up due to a word in the background conversation sounding like the wake word "Alexa," leading to a series of misinterpretations that resulted in the message being sent accidentally. This suggests that the failure was primarily due to accidental decisions or unintended consequences rather than deliberate actions [71241]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence as it was a result of a series of mishaps caused by the Echo device misinterpreting background conversations and accidentally sending a private conversation to a random contact. This incident highlights a lack of professional competence in ensuring the device only activates and records when the wake word is spoken, leading to a breach of privacy and trust among users [71241].
(b) Additionally, the incident can also be categorized as accidental, as the triggering of the device to record and send the conversation was unintentional and not a deliberate action by the users. The accidental activation of the device led to the privacy invasion experienced by the user, indicating that the failure was not intentional but rather a result of unforeseen circumstances [71241]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is more of a temporary nature. It was a specific incident where an Alexa device mistakenly recorded a private conversation and sent it to a random number in the user's address book without permission. Amazon explained that the device activated due to a word in the background conversation sounding like 'Alexa', leading to a series of events that resulted in the message being sent. Amazon acknowledged the improbability of this series of mishaps occurring and stated they are evaluating options to make such incidents even less likely [71241]. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article is not related to a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The incident involved the Alexa device recording a private conversation and sending it to a random number, which indicates the system was functioning but in an unintended manner [71241].
(b) omission: The incident does not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, the system performed an unintended action by recording and sending a private conversation without permission [71241].
(c) timing: The failure is not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The incident was about the system misinterpreting background conversation as a command to send a message, leading to the unauthorized sharing of a private conversation [71241].
(d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. In this case, the Alexa device misinterpreted a conversation as a command to send a message, resulting in the unauthorized sharing of private audio [71241].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not exhibit the characteristics of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The behavior described in the article is more about a specific misinterpretation of a conversation leading to an unintended action [71241].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a misinterpretation of user commands leading to an unintended action. In this case, the Alexa device misinterpreted background conversation as a command to send a message, resulting in the unauthorized sharing of a private conversation [71241]. |