Published Date: 2013-02-21
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident involving the security breach at Zendesk, affecting Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, happened in February 2013 [17033, 17054, 17067]. |
| System | 1. Zendesk customer service software system [17033, 17054, 17067] 2. Email exchange system operated by Zendesk [17033, 17054, 17067] |
| Responsible Organization | 1. Hackers accessed the system of customer service software provider Zendesk, leading to the security breach affecting Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr [17033, 17054, 17067]. |
| Impacted Organization | 1. Twitter 2. Pinterest 3. Tumblr [Cited Articles: 17033, 17054, 17067] |
| Software Causes | 1. Security breach leading to unauthorized access to customer data, including email addresses and support email subject lines [17033, 17054, 17067] 2. Vulnerability in the customer service software system allowing hackers to access support information stored by the affected companies [17033, 17054, 17067] |
| Non-software Causes | 1. Lack of robust cybersecurity measures in place to prevent unauthorized access to customer data [17033, 17054, 17067] 2. Vulnerabilities in the customer service software system that allowed hackers to breach the system [17033, 17054, 17067] 3. Insufficient data protection protocols to safeguard sensitive information such as email addresses and subject lines [17033, 17054, 17067] 4. Failure to promptly detect and address security breaches, leading to prolonged unauthorized access [17033, 17054, 17067] |
| Impacts | 1. Email addresses and support email subject lines of users who contacted Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr for support were accessed by the hacker, potentially exposing sensitive information [17033, 17054, 17067]. 2. Users of Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr were notified about the breach and advised to review their correspondence with the affected companies to check for any sensitive information that may have been exposed [17033, 17054, 17067]. 3. The breach led to concerns about potential unwanted associations between email addresses and blog addresses for Tumblr users [17033, 17054, 17067]. 4. The incident raised awareness about the importance of maintaining strong passwords and being cautious of suspicious emails [17033, 17054]. 5. The affected companies, including Zendesk, Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, had to work on assisting their customers in response to the breach and collaborate with law enforcement for further investigation [17033, 17054, 17067]. |
| Preventions | 1. Implementing robust cybersecurity measures such as regular security audits, penetration testing, and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential weaknesses in the system [17033, 17054, 17067]. 2. Ensuring timely software updates and patches to address known vulnerabilities and prevent exploitation by hackers [17033, 17054, 17067]. 3. Implementing multi-factor authentication for accessing sensitive data or systems to add an extra layer of security beyond just passwords [17033, 17054, 17067]. 4. Educating employees and users about cybersecurity best practices, such as creating strong passwords, avoiding suspicious emails, and being cautious with sharing personal information online [17033, 17054, 17067]. 5. Enhancing monitoring and detection capabilities to quickly identify and respond to security breaches or unauthorized access attempts [17033, 17054, 17067]. |
| Fixes | 1. Implementing stronger security measures such as multi-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access [17033, 17054, 17067]. 2. Conducting regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify and patch potential weaknesses in the system [17033, 17054, 17067]. 3. Enhancing employee training on cybersecurity best practices to prevent social engineering attacks and phishing attempts [17033, 17054, 17067]. 4. Enhancing incident response protocols to ensure immediate detection and containment of security breaches [17033, 17054, 17067]. 5. Regularly updating software and systems to ensure they are equipped with the latest security patches and protections [17033, 17054, 17067]. | References | 1. Zendesk blog post [17033, 17054, 17067] 2. Tumblr notification email [17033, 17054, 17067] 3. Pinterest notification email [17033, 17054] 4. Twitter notification message [17033, 17054] 5. Wired [17033, 17067] 6. Microsoft security blog [17054] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | one_organization, multiple_organization | (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: - Microsoft announced that they had been breached in a similar way to recent incidents at Facebook and Apple [Article 17054]. - Microsoft confirmed that they recently experienced a security intrusion similar to those reported by Facebook and Apple [Article 17054]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: - Zendesk, a customer service software provider, announced a security breach that allowed attackers into its system, affecting three customers: Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr [Article 17033]. - Zendesk revealed that information from three of its clients, including Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, had been compromised due to a hack at Zendesk [Article 17067]. - Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest all admitted they had been hit by a cyber-attack on a customer service program used across them all, which was operated by Zendesk [Article 17054]. - Facebook and Apple also experienced security breaches earlier in the same month [Article 17054]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design, operation | (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase: - Zendesk announced a security breach that allowed attackers into its system, where they could access data from three customers. The breach was due to a vulnerability in the system that was immediately identified and patched [17033, 17054, 17067]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase: - The breach at Zendesk, affecting Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, exposed customer email addresses and subject lines due to the operation of the customer service email system provided by Zendesk [17033, 17054, 17067]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | within_system | (a) within_system: - The software failure incident involving Zendesk's security breach was due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. Zendesk announced that a hacker accessed their system, allowing access to data from three customers stored on their system [17033]. - Zendesk mentioned in their blog post that the hacker had access to the support information stored on their system, indicating an internal breach [17033]. - The breach at Zendesk led to the exposure of email addresses and support email subject lines of users who contacted the three affected customers for support, highlighting an internal system vulnerability [17054]. - Zendesk confirmed that the hacker downloaded email addresses of users who contacted the affected customers for support, indicating that the breach occurred within Zendesk's system [17067]. (b) outside_system: - The software failure incident did not involve contributing factors originating from outside the system. The breach at Zendesk was a result of a hacker gaining access to their system, indicating an internal security vulnerability [17033, 17054, 17067]. - The breach at Zendesk, which affected Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, was a result of internal system vulnerabilities rather than external factors [17033, 17054, 17067]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - Zendesk announced a security breach that allowed attackers into its system, where they could access data from three customers, namely Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr. The breach was due to a hacker accessing their system, leading to the exposure of email addresses and support email subject lines [17033, 17054, 17067]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - The breach at Zendesk, which led to the exposure of customer data from Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, was a result of a hacker gaining unauthorized access to the system. However, there is no indication in the articles that the breach was facilitated by human actions within the affected companies [17033, 17054, 17067]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | software | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - None of the articles provided information about the software failure incident occurring due to contributing factors originating in hardware. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The software failure incident reported in the articles was due to a security breach at the customer service software provider Zendesk, which allowed attackers to access data from three customers - Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr [17033, 17054, 17067]. - Zendesk announced that a hacker accessed their system and obtained support information stored for the three affected customers, leading to the download of email addresses of users who contacted those customers for support, as well as support email subject lines [17033, 17054, 17067]. - The breach at Zendesk exposed email addresses and subject lines of messages sent to Tumblr support, potentially allowing blogs to be associated with email addresses [17033, 17054, 17067]. - Users of Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr were warned about the breach and advised to review their correspondence with the affected services [17033, 17054, 17067]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | malicious | (a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is malicious in nature. The incident involved a security breach at customer service software provider Zendesk, where attackers gained unauthorized access to the system and were able to download email addresses and support email subject lines of users who contacted Zendesk's clients - Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr [17033, 17054, 17067]. The breach was described as a hack, and the hacker's actions were intentional with the objective of accessing and potentially misusing sensitive user information. (b) The incident does not involve a non-malicious software failure. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | poor_decisions | (a) poor_decisions: - Zendesk announced a security breach that allowed attackers into its system, where they could access data from three customers. The breach was due to a vulnerability that was exploited by a hacker [17033]. - Zendesk revealed that the hacker had access to the support information of three customers stored on their system, indicating a security vulnerability that was not adequately addressed [17067]. (b) accidental_decisions: - The breach at Zendesk and subsequent exposure of customer data from Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr was not intentional but rather a result of a security breach caused by a hacker [17033]. - The breach at Zendesk was described as a victim of a security breach, indicating that the incident was not intentional but rather a result of unauthorized access [17067]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | development_incompetence | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence: - Zendesk announced a security breach that allowed attackers into its system, where they could access data from three customers, including Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr. The breach was due to a vulnerability that was exploited by a hacker [17033]. - Zendesk revealed that the hacker had access to the support information of three customers stored on their system, leading to the download of email addresses of users who contacted those customers for support. This breach highlights a security vulnerability that was not adequately addressed, indicating a failure in ensuring robust security measures [17067]. (b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally: - The breach at Zendesk, affecting Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, was not intentional but rather a result of a security vulnerability that was exploited by a hacker. Zendesk immediately patched the vulnerability once it was identified, indicating that the breach was not planned but rather a consequence of a flaw in the system [17033]. - Microsoft also reported a security intrusion that impacted internal computers, with no evidence of customer data being affected. The company mentioned that the attack had similarities to those experienced by Facebook and Apple, suggesting that the breach was accidental and not a deliberate act [17054]. |
| Duration | temporary | (a) The software failure incident in the articles appears to be temporary. The incident was a security breach at Zendesk that allowed attackers to access data from three customers - Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr. Zendesk immediately patched the vulnerability and closed the access that the hacker had. The breach resulted in the hacker downloading email addresses of users who contacted those three customers for support, as well as support email subject lines. Affected users were notified, and steps were taken to assist in their response [17033, 17054, 17067]. (b) The software failure incident does not seem to be permanent as the breach was identified, patched, and the access closed to prevent further unauthorized access. The incident was a result of a specific security vulnerability that was addressed promptly to mitigate the impact on the affected customers [17033, 17054, 17067]. |
| Behaviour | other | (a) crash: - Article 17033 reports a security breach at Zendesk where a hacker accessed their system, leading to a loss of data from three customers, including email addresses and support email subject lines. Zendesk patched the vulnerability and closed the access after discovering the attack [17033]. - Article 17054 mentions that Microsoft experienced a security intrusion similar to those at Facebook and Apple, but it only affected internal computers and did not impact customer details [17054]. - Article 17067 discusses how Zendesk was the victim of a security breach, resulting in the compromise of user information from three high-profile social-networking sites, namely Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr. The hacker had access to support information stored on Zendesk's system, leading to the downloading of email addresses and support email subject lines [17067]. (b) omission: - The articles do not specifically mention any instances of omission as a behavior related to the software failure incident. (c) timing: - The articles do not indicate any failures related to timing where the system performed its intended functions too late or too early. (d) value: - The articles do not provide information about the system performing its intended functions incorrectly as a behavior related to the software failure incident. (e) byzantine: - The articles do not describe any behaviors related to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: - The behavior of the software failure incident in this case primarily aligns with a security breach leading to unauthorized access and data compromise, rather than specific technical malfunctions or errors. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | property | (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? The articles do not mention any consequences related to death, harm, basic needs, or physical harm resulting from the software failure incidents reported. The primary consequences discussed in the articles relate to the exposure of customer data, such as email addresses and subject lines, due to security breaches at Zendesk affecting companies like Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr. The incidents led to notifications being sent to affected users to inform them of the breach and advise them on potential risks and precautions to take. |
| Domain | information | (a) The failed system was related to the information industry as it involved a customer service software provider, Zendesk, which allowed companies to outsource many of their customer service functions through software tools [Article 17033]. (b) No information related to the transportation industry was provided in the articles. (c) No information related to the natural resources industry was provided in the articles. (d) No information related to the sales industry was provided in the articles. (e) No information related to the construction industry was provided in the articles. (f) No information related to the manufacturing industry was provided in the articles. (g) No information related to the utilities industry was provided in the articles. (h) No information related to the finance industry was provided in the articles. (i) No information related to the knowledge industry was provided in the articles. (j) No information related to the health industry was provided in the articles. (k) The failed system was not directly related to the entertainment industry as it involved a security breach at Zendesk, a customer service software provider, and the affected clients were Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr [Article 17033]. (l) No information related to the government industry was provided in the articles. (m) The failed system was not directly related to any of the industries mentioned in options (a) to (l). |
Article ID: 17033
Article ID: 17054
Article ID: 17067