| Recurring |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to smartwatches being hijacked by hackers to steal passwords and PINs and track wearers' movements was reported by a leading cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky Labs [71190]. This incident highlights the vulnerability of smartwatches to data theft through the exploitation of their accelerometer and gyroscope sensors. The incident showcases how hackers can use neural networks to decipher PIN codes and passwords with a high level of accuracy, posing a significant security risk to users of smartwatches.
(b) The article does not mention any similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where it is mentioned that hackers can hijack smartwatches to steal passwords and PINs by using the device's accelerometer and gyroscope to track the wearer's movements. This indicates a failure in the design aspect of the smartwatches, where the technology used for tracking movements can be exploited to obtain sensitive information like PIN codes and passwords [71190].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the article where it is highlighted that the smartwatches' ability to profile user behavior can be used against the users. For example, sending geotags and requesting email addresses linked to Google Play accounts can lead to determining personal information based on movements, smartphone usage, and even when a PIN is entered at an ATM. This showcases a failure in the operation aspect of the smartwatches, where user behavior profiling can be misused for malicious purposes [71190]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident described in the article is primarily within the system. The failure occurred due to the exploitation of vulnerabilities within smartwatches by hackers. The hackers utilized the smartwatches' accelerometer and gyroscope data to track wearers' movements and obtain sensitive information like passwords and PINs [71190]. The incident showcases how the software within the smartwatches was manipulated to compromise user data.
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident can also be attributed to factors outside the system. For instance, the article mentions that the hackers used the data from the smartwatches to profile user behavior and obtain sensitive information. This profiling involved external factors like geotagging and analyzing user movements to determine personal information, smartphone usage, and ATM PINs [71190]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to non-human actions. The failure occurred due to the exploitation of smartwatches by hackers using the device's accelerometer and gyroscope to track wearers' movements and steal data, such as passwords and PINs. The hackers utilized computer algorithms and neural networks to decipher PIN codes with a high level of accuracy based on the wearer's movements. This incident demonstrates how non-human actions, specifically the manipulation of technology and algorithms, can lead to software vulnerabilities and failures [71190].
(b) The software failure incident in the article also involves human actions. The hackers actively exploited the vulnerabilities in smartwatches and used their knowledge of technology and algorithms to track wearers' movements and steal sensitive information like ATM PINs and passwords. Additionally, the article mentions that individuals can take preventive measures such as monitoring app permissions and installing spyware detection software, indicating the importance of human actions in mitigating the risks associated with software failures caused by malicious activities [71190]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article discusses how hackers can hijack smartwatches to steal passwords and PINs by utilizing the device's accelerometer and gyroscope, which are hardware components ([71190]).
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident is primarily attributed to the exploitation of the smartwatch's capabilities by hackers using computer algorithms and neural networks to track user movements and decipher PIN codes, indicating a software vulnerability ([71190]). |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is malicious in nature. The incident involves hackers hijacking smartwatches to steal passwords, PINs, and track wearers' movements with the use of Trojan watches. The hackers use the device's accelerometer and gyroscope to track the wearer's movements and then use computer algorithms to obtain sensitive information like ATM PINs and passwords entered into computers. The incident involves intentional actions by hackers to exploit vulnerabilities in smartwatches for malicious purposes [71190]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The software failure incident in the article was related to poor decisions made by hackers who hijacked smartwatches to steal passwords and PINs by exploiting the device's accelerometer and gyroscope [71190].
- The hackers used neural networks to decipher PIN codes with a minimum accuracy of 80%, showcasing the sophisticated techniques employed due to poor decisions made by the hackers [71190].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- The software failure incident was not related to accidental decisions but rather deliberate actions taken by hackers to exploit vulnerabilities in smartwatches for malicious purposes [71190]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence as it involves the exploitation of vulnerabilities in smartwatches by hackers. The hackers were able to hijack smartwatches to steal passwords and PINs by utilizing the device's accelerometer and gyroscope to track the wearer's movements. This demonstrates a lack of professional competence in ensuring the security and privacy of user data in smartwatch technology [71190].
(b) Additionally, the incident can also be categorized as accidental as the vulnerabilities exploited by hackers were not intentionally designed into the smartwatches but were inadvertently present, allowing for the unauthorized access and theft of sensitive information. The accidental nature of these vulnerabilities highlights the importance of thorough testing and security measures during the development of such devices to prevent unintended consequences [71190]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article [71190] can be categorized as a temporary failure. The incident involves the hijacking of smartwatches by hackers to steal passwords and PINs, as well as track wearers' movements. The method used by the hackers involves utilizing the device's accelerometer and gyroscope to track the wearer's movements and decipher sensitive information like PIN codes with a high accuracy rate of 80%. This incident is temporary in nature as it is caused by specific circumstances introduced by the hacking activity targeting smartwatches, rather than being a permanent failure affecting all circumstances. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The incident is more focused on the hijacking of smartwatches by hackers to steal data and track wearers' movements [71190].
(b) omission: The software failure incident does not involve a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, it revolves around the exploitation of smartwatches to steal passwords and PINs by tracking the wearer's movements [71190].
(c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The focus is on the misuse of smartwatches to gather sensitive information through tracking and data theft [71190].
(d) value: The software failure incident does involve a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. In this case, the smartwatches are being manipulated by hackers to extract passwords, PINs, and other sensitive data from users [71190].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The primary issue highlighted in the article is the security vulnerability of smartwatches being exploited for data theft [71190].
(f) other: The software failure incident involves a behavior where the system is being used in unintended ways by hackers to track wearers' movements, steal passwords, and obtain sensitive information. This behavior falls under the category of unauthorized access and data theft rather than a traditional software failure as described in options (a) to (e) [71190]. |