| Recurring |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident has happened again at one_organization:
The article does not mention any previous incidents of a similar nature happening within the same organization (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) or with its products and services. Therefore, there is no indication of this specific software failure incident happening again at the same organization.
(b) The software failure incident has happened again at multiple_organization:
The article does not provide information about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. Hence, there is no mention of this specific software failure incident occurring again at multiple organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 76738 was related to the design phase. The hack that exposed the personal information of approximately 75,000 people was detected in a government computer system that works alongside HealthCare.gov. The system that was exposed through the hack was the Direct Enrollment pathway, which allows agents and brokers to assist consumers with applications for coverage in the Federally Facilitated Exchanges. The breach was declared on October 16 after an initial investigation of anomalous system activity in the Direct Enrollment pathway [76738].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 76738 was not directly related to the operation phase or misuse of the system. The hack was a result of a breach in the system's design, specifically in the Direct Enrollment pathway used by agents and brokers to assist consumers with coverage applications. The article does not mention any misuse of the system leading to the failure [76738]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was within_system. The hack was detected within the government computer system that works alongside HealthCare.gov, specifically affecting the Direct Enrollment pathway used by agents and brokers to assist consumers with applications for coverage in the Federally Facilitated Exchanges [76738]. The breach was declared on October 16 after an initial investigation of anomalous system activity within the Direct Enrollment pathway [76738]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was due to a hack, which is a non-human action. The hack exposed the personal information of approximately 75,000 people by exploiting the Direct Enrollment pathway system that works alongside HealthCare.gov [76738].
(b) Human actions were involved in responding to the software failure incident. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) took actions such as deactivating agent and broker accounts associated with the hack, disabling the Direct Enrollment pathway for agents and brokers, and working to restore functionality within seven days. Additionally, CMS initiated an investigation into the anomalous system activity and declared a breach, leading to public notification [76738]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article was not attributed to hardware issues. It was specifically mentioned that a hack was detected in a government computer system that works alongside HealthCare.gov, indicating that the failure originated from external malicious activity rather than hardware malfunction [76738].
(b) The software failure incident was directly linked to a hack in the government computer system, indicating that the contributing factors originated in software vulnerabilities that allowed unauthorized access to the system [76738]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in Article 76738 is malicious in nature. It was a hack detected in a government computer system that works alongside HealthCare.gov, exposing the personal information of approximately 75,000 people. The hack targeted the Direct Enrollment pathway, which allows agents and brokers to assist consumers with applications for coverage in the Federally Facilitated Exchanges. The breach was declared on October 16, and the source of the hacking had not been identified at the time of the report, leading to an active federal law enforcement investigation [76738]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article was a hack that exposed the personal information of approximately 75,000 people. The incident was detected in a government computer system that works alongside HealthCare.gov, specifically affecting the Direct Enrollment pathway used by agents and brokers to assist consumers with applications for coverage in the Federally Facilitated Exchanges (FFE) [76738]. This incident can be attributed to poor decisions in terms of the system's security measures and vulnerability management, leading to the exposure of sensitive data due to inadequate safeguards. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 76738 was not explicitly attributed to development incompetence. The incident was primarily described as a hack that exposed personal information of approximately 75,000 people. The focus was on the breach and subsequent actions taken to address the security issue rather than on development incompetence.
(b) The software failure incident in Article 76738 was attributed to a hack, which is typically considered an intentional act rather than an accidental one. The hack exposed personal information due to unauthorized access to the system, indicating a deliberate security breach rather than an accidental failure. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was temporary. The Direct Enrollment pathway for agents and brokers was disabled as a response to the hack, and the agent and broker accounts associated with the hack were deactivated. The CMS representative mentioned that they were working to get the functionality back up within seven days. Additionally, the CMS Administrator emphasized that HealthCare.gov and the Marketplace Call Center were still available, and open enrollment would not be negatively impacted [76738]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. The hack led to the exposure of personal information of approximately 75,000 people by exploiting the Direct Enrollment pathway system that allows agents and brokers to assist consumers with applications for coverage in the Federally Facilitated Exchanges [Article 76738].
(b) omission: The incident does not specifically mention a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [Article 76738].
(c) timing: The incident does not indicate a failure due to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early [Article 76738].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be linked to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, as the hack resulted in the exposure of personal information [Article 76738].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not align with a failure due to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [Article 76738].
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident is a security breach due to a hack, leading to unauthorized access and exposure of sensitive personal information [Article 76738]. |