| Recurring |
unknown |
The articles do not provide information about the software failure incident happening again at either the same organization or at multiple organizations. Therefore, the answer to this question is 'unknown'. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to the design phase. The incident involved a malicious app named 'Advanced Battery Saver' that was distributed via the Google Play Store. The app was designed to trick users by displaying a pop-up message customized to the exact make and model of their smartphone, urging them to install a cleanup app to prevent battery slowdown. However, upon installation, users were redirected to download malware that could steal personal data and even lead to potential blackmail [73624].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. Users who fell victim to the scam by downloading the malicious app were advised to delete the app and run anti-virus software on their Android devices to eradicate its effects. This highlights the operational aspect of dealing with the aftermath of the software failure incident caused by the malicious app [73624]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in this case was within the system. The incident involved a malicious app called 'Advanced Battery Saver' that was distributed via the Google Play Store. The app, disguised as a battery-saving tool, was designed to steal personal data from users' smartphones, including sensitive information like location, phone numbers, and messages. The malware also ran an ad-clicker in the background to generate revenue for the fraudsters. The failure originated from within the system as the app itself was malicious and designed to deceive users [73624].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident was also influenced by factors outside the system. The malware was distributed through a deceptive pop-up message that appeared while users were browsing online. This pop-up message, customized to the specific make and model of the user's smartphone, tricked users into believing that a memory cleanup was necessary to prevent battery slowdown. By clicking on the install button in the pop-up, users were redirected to the Google Play Store to download the malicious app. This external factor of a deceptive pop-up message played a role in luring users into downloading the malware [73624]. |
| 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 incident involved a malicious app named 'Advanced Battery Saver' that was distributed via the Google Play Store. This app, once installed, accessed users' personal data and ran an ad-clicker in the background to generate money for fraudsters. The malware was designed to steal information from the phone, including IMEI, phone numbers, phone type/brand/model, location, and more. The app was able to carry out these actions without direct human participation, making it a non-human action-related failure incident [73624].
(b) Additionally, human actions played a role in this software failure incident. Users were tricked into installing the malicious app through a pop-up message that appeared while browsing online. The message warned users about a 'cleanup' needed for their handset's memory to prevent battery slowing, prompting them to install the fraudulent app recommended by the pop-up. This action by users led to the installation of the malware, showcasing how human actions contributed to the failure incident [73624]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to hardware as it involves a malicious app, 'Advanced Battery Saver,' that was distributed via the Google Play Store and accessed personal data on Android smartphones [73624]. The malware targeted users by displaying a pop-up message customized to the exact make and model of their smartphone, tricking them into downloading the malicious app. This incident highlights how hardware, in this case, the smartphones, was targeted and impacted by the software failure incident.
(b) The software failure incident in the article is also related to software as the malicious app, 'Advanced Battery Saver,' was designed to steal information from the phone, including IMEI, phone numbers, phone type/brand/model, location, and more [73624]. The malware not only stole personal data but also ran an ad-clicker in the background of the device, generating money for the fraudsters. This demonstrates how the software itself was the root cause of the failure incident by exploiting vulnerabilities in the Android operating system and deceiving users into downloading the malicious app. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The objective of the software failure incident was malicious. The incident involved an app called 'Advanced Battery Saver' that was distributed via the Google Play Store with the intent to steal personal data, including location, phone numbers, messages, payment details, and more. The app was designed to deceive users by displaying a pop-up message customized to their specific smartphone model, leading them to download malware disguised as a battery-saving app. The malware also ran an ad-clicker in the background to generate money for the fraudsters [73624]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was due to poor_decisions. The incident involved a malicious app named 'Advanced Battery Saver' that was distributed via the Google Play Store. The app promised to save battery but instead stole personal data such as location, phone numbers, and messages. This information could be used by hackers to steal payment details and blackmail victims. The app was designed to run an ad-clicker in the background, generating money for fraudsters by running pay per click adverts. The app was downloaded by 60,000 people before being removed from the store [73624]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The app 'Advanced Battery Saver' was designed to steal personal data from users under the guise of a battery-saving application. The malicious app was distributed via the Google Play Store and was able to access sensitive information such as location, phone numbers, and messages, which could be used by hackers for malicious purposes [73624]. This incident showcases a lack of professional competence on the part of the developers who created and distributed the app, as it was designed to deceive users and compromise their data security. |
| Duration |
permanent |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is more of a permanent nature. The app 'Advanced Battery Saver' was designed as a malicious software that stole personal data from users' smartphones. It was distributed via the Google Play Store and had the capability to access sensitive information such as location, phone numbers, messages, and even potentially steal payment details. The malware was also designed to run an ad-clicker in the background of the device, generating money for the fraudsters. The app was removed from the store after being downloaded by 60,000 people, and users were advised to delete the app and run anti-virus software to eradicate its effects [73624]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article can be categorized as a crash. The malicious app 'Advanced Battery Saver' was designed to steal personal data and run an ad-clicker in the background of the device, causing the system to lose its intended state and not perform its functions correctly [73624].
(b) omission: The incident can also be classified as an omission failure. The malware omitted to perform the intended functions of a legitimate battery-saving app and instead accessed users' personal information for malicious purposes [73624].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the article.
(d) value: The software failure incident can be linked to a value failure as the malicious app performed its intended functions incorrectly by stealing personal data and running an ad-clicker in the background of the device [73624].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not align with a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident is deception. The app deceived users by presenting itself as a legitimate battery-saving app while actually being malware designed to steal personal data and generate revenue through ad-clicking [73624]. |