| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the cold boot attack vulnerability has happened again at Microsoft. F-Secure's researchers presented their findings at a conference in Sweden and are set to present it again at Microsoft's security conference on Sept. 27. Microsoft is updating its BitLocker guidance in response to this vulnerability [76300].
(b) The software failure incident related to the cold boot attack vulnerability has also happened at Apple. Apple stated that all devices using a T2 chip are not affected by this vulnerability [76300]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where security researchers discovered a flaw in nearly all modern computers that allowed potential hackers to steal sensitive information from locked devices. This flaw was related to a vulnerability in the system design that allowed for data extraction using cold boot attacks, despite safety measures in place to prevent such attacks [76300].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be observed in the same article where it was mentioned that to protect sensitive information from such attacks, users were advised to configure their laptops to automatically shut down or hibernate instead of entering sleep mode when the screen is closed. This recommendation was aimed at addressing operational practices that could leave the system vulnerable to cold boot attacks [76300]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is within_system. The flaw allowing potential hackers to steal sensitive information from locked devices is a vulnerability within the system itself. The attack takes advantage of a flaw in modern computers that allows data on a computer's RAM to be stolen after a forced reboot, indicating an internal system vulnerability [76300]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is primarily due to non-human actions. The flaw discovered by security researchers allows potential hackers to steal sensitive information from locked devices through a cold boot attack, which targets the computer's RAM where data is briefly stored after a forced reboot. This vulnerability is a result of a flaw in the design or implementation of the computer systems, rather than being directly caused by human actions [76300].
(b) However, human actions are also involved in mitigating the impact of this software failure incident. Recommendations provided by cybersecurity experts include configuring laptops to automatically shut down or hibernate instead of entering sleep mode, using devices with a discreet Trusted Platform Module (TPM), disabling sleep/hibernation, and configuring BitLocker with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to protect sensitive information. These actions are suggested to counteract the vulnerability introduced by the flaw in the computer systems [76300]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 76300 is related to hardware. The flaw discovered by security researchers allows potential hackers to steal sensitive information from locked devices by exploiting a vulnerability in modern computers' hardware. The attack, known as a cold boot attack, targets the computer's RAM, where sensitive information is briefly stored after a forced reboot. The safety measure in place to prevent such attacks by removing data stored in RAM is disabled by the hackers, allowing them to extract data using this hardware-based vulnerability [76300]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in Article 76300 is malicious in nature. Security researchers discovered a flaw that allows potential hackers to steal sensitive information from locked devices through a cold boot attack. The attack involves extracting data from a computer's RAM, where sensitive information is briefly stored after a forced reboot. The researchers found a way to disable safety measures meant to prevent such attacks, indicating malicious intent to exploit the vulnerability for unauthorized access and data theft [76300]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
unknown |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The software failure incident described in the article is related to a flaw in nearly all modern computers that allows potential hackers to steal sensitive information from locked devices [76300].
- Security researchers discovered a flaw that enables hackers to perform cold boot attacks to steal data from a computer's RAM, where sensitive information is briefly stored after a forced reboot.
- The safety measure on most computers that removes data stored on RAM to prevent such attacks can be disabled, allowing hackers to extract data using cold boot attacks.
- The incident highlights the potential risk posed by the flaw and the need for users to take precautions such as configuring laptops to automatically shut down or hibernate instead of entering sleep mode to protect sensitive information.
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- The software failure incident does not appear to be related to accidental decisions or unintended mistakes. Instead, it is a deliberate exploitation of a known vulnerability by security researchers to demonstrate the risk of cold boot attacks on modern laptops [76300].
- The incident involves a targeted approach to disable safety measures and extract data from computers, indicating a deliberate intent to exploit the flaw rather than an accidental occurrence. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. Therefore, it is unknown if the incident was caused by contributing factors introduced due to lack of professional competence by humans or the development organization.
(b) The software failure incident related to an accidental factor is evident in the article. The flaw that allows potential hackers to steal sensitive information from locked devices was discovered by security researchers. This flaw, known since 2008, can be exploited through cold boot attacks if the hacker has physical access to the computer. The incident of stealing data from a computer's RAM due to this flaw can be considered as a failure introduced accidentally [76300]. |
| Duration |
permanent |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is more of a permanent nature. The flaw allowing potential hackers to steal sensitive information from locked devices is a fundamental vulnerability in modern computers that has been known since 2008. The attack can be carried out with physical access to the computer and special tools, and the safety measure to prevent data theft from RAM can be disabled by the hackers. As there is no immediate fix available for this new vulnerability, it indicates a long-term issue that requires significant changes in security configurations and potentially hardware design to address [76300]. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The article does not mention a software crash incident.
(b) omission: The article does not mention a software omission incident.
(c) timing: The article does not mention a software timing incident.
(d) value: The software failure incident described in the article is related to a flaw that allows potential hackers to steal sensitive information from locked devices. This can be categorized as a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, as it fails to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access [76300].
(e) byzantine: The article does not mention a software failure incident related to a byzantine behavior.
(f) other: The software failure incident described in the article involves a vulnerability that allows hackers to extract data from a computer's RAM using cold boot attacks. This can be categorized as a failure due to a security vulnerability that compromises the confidentiality of sensitive information stored on the device [76300]. |