| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article mentions a previous hack involving Starwood properties, which are part of the Marriott International brand. In 2015, Starwood, along with other luxury hotel brands such as Trump Hotels and Mandarin Oriental, experienced credit card breaches due to malware found on payment systems at certain hotels [77661].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
The article does not provide specific information about 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 Marriott International breach incident. The breach of the reservation system for Marriott’s Starwood subsidiaries occurred due to an unauthorized party accessing the reservation database from 2014 onward. This breach was possible because Marriott acquired Starwood in 2016 and kept the reservation databases separate from its own until recently, indicating a design flaw in the system architecture that allowed unauthorized access for a prolonged period [77661].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the Marriott International breach as well. The breach was not detected by Marriott's internal security tool until September 8, even though the unauthorized party had been accessing the information since 2014. This delay in detecting the breach and the fact that the hackers were able to encrypt and attempt to remove the information before Marriott decrypted it in late November highlights operational shortcomings in monitoring and response mechanisms [77661]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident in the Marriott breach can be categorized as within_system. The breach occurred due to an unauthorized party accessing the reservation database of Starwood properties, which includes various hotel chains, from 2014 onward [77661]. This breach was a result of vulnerabilities within Marriott's reservation system, allowing hackers to access and steal sensitive customer information such as names, addresses, credit card numbers, passport numbers, travel locations, and arrival and departure dates. The breach was detected by an internal security tool in September 2018, indicating that the unauthorized access had been ongoing for several years within Marriott's system before being identified and addressed. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
The software failure incident at Marriott International's Starwood Hotels brand was due to a breach by an unauthorized party that had access to the reservation database since 2014. The breach exposed private details of up to 500 million customers, including names, addresses, credit card numbers, phone numbers, passport numbers, travel locations, and arrival and departure dates. The breach was detected by an internal security tool on September 8, and the hackers had accessed the information, encrypted it, and attempted to remove it. It took Marriott until late November to decrypt the information, indicating a failure due to non-human actions [77661].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
The breach of the reservation system for Marriott’s Starwood subsidiaries was attributed to an unauthorized party accessing the reservation database from 2014 onward. The breach was a result of contributing factors introduced without human participation, as the hackers were able to access, encrypt, and attempt to remove the information without direct human involvement in those actions [77661]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The breach of the reservation system for Marriott’s Starwood subsidiaries was due to an unauthorized party accessing the reservation database since 2014 [77661].
- An internal security tool flagged the unauthorized party's activity on September 8, leading to the discovery that the hackers had accessed the information, encrypted it, and attempted to remove it [77661].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The breach of the reservation system for Marriott’s Starwood subsidiaries was a result of an unauthorized party accessing the reservation database since 2014 [77661].
- Marriott mentioned that the reservation system of Marriott hotels themselves was not affected by the breach reported [77661]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Marriott data breach was malicious in nature. The breach was caused by an unauthorized party gaining access to the reservation database of Starwood properties, which included sensitive information such as names, addresses, credit card numbers, passport numbers, travel locations, and arrival and departure dates [77661]. The breach was not accidental but was a deliberate act by hackers who encrypted the information and attempted to remove it, indicating malicious intent to steal valuable data for potential misdeeds like identity theft [77661]. The breach was considered one of the largest in history and raised concerns about whether nation-state hackers were involved in tracking the movements of diplomats, spies, military officials, and business executives [77661]. The presence of passport numbers in the data accessed by hackers, along with the long duration of unauthorized access without detection, suggested a sophisticated and targeted attack with malicious objectives [77661]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Marriott data breach can be attributed to poor decisions made by the company. The breach occurred due to an unauthorized party gaining access to the reservation database of Starwood properties since 2014 [77661]. Marriott acquired Starwood in 2016 but kept the reservation databases separate until recently, which allowed the breach to go undetected for several years. The breach exposed sensitive customer information, including names, addresses, credit card numbers, phone numbers, passport numbers, travel locations, and arrival and departure dates. The incident highlighted the poor security and negligence in protecting such intimate data, indicating a lack of proactive measures and oversight in safeguarding customer information. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the Marriott data breach can be attributed to development incompetence. The breach occurred due to an unauthorized party gaining access to the reservation database of Starwood properties, which included hotel chains like St. Regis, Westin, Sheraton, and others, from 2014 onward [77661]. This unauthorized access went undetected for four years, indicating a lack of professional competence in monitoring and securing the system. Additionally, the breach exposed sensitive customer information such as names, addresses, credit card numbers, passport numbers, and travel details, highlighting a failure in implementing robust security measures to protect this data.
(b) The software failure incident in the Marriott data breach can also be considered accidental. The breach was not intentional on the part of Marriott but was caused by an unauthorized party gaining access to the reservation database of Starwood properties [77661]. The breach was discovered when an internal security tool flagged suspicious activity on September 8, leading to the realization that hackers had accessed and encrypted the information. Marriott took until late November to decrypt the information, indicating that the breach was accidental in nature and not a deliberate act by the company. |
| Duration |
permanent |
(a) The software failure incident in the Marriott International breach was considered permanent as unauthorized access to the reservation database of Starwood properties had been ongoing since 2014 [77661]. The breach was not a one-time event but rather a continuous exposure of private customer details over a span of four years. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, timing, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the Marriott breach can be categorized as a crash. The unauthorized party accessed the reservation database of Starwood properties from 2014 onward, and the breach was discovered by an internal security tool that flagged the unauthorized activity on September 8. The hackers had accessed the information, encrypted it, and attempted to remove it, leading to a situation where the system lost its state and was not performing its intended functions properly until late November when Marriott decrypted the information [77661].
(b) omission: The software failure incident can also be categorized as an omission. The breach occurred over a span of four years, during which the hackers had access to the reservation systems of many of Marriott's hotel chains, exposing private details of up to 500 million customers. This failure can be seen as the system omitting to perform its intended functions of safeguarding customer data and preventing unauthorized access [77661].
(c) timing: The timing of the software failure incident can be considered a factor in this case. The breach went undetected for a significant period, with the unauthorized party having access to the reservation systems since 2014. The breach was only discovered in September 2018, and it took until late November to decrypt the information that had been accessed by the hackers. This delay in detecting and responding to the breach highlights a timing issue in the system's ability to address security incidents promptly [77661].
(d) value: The software failure incident can also be attributed to a failure in value. The breach exposed a vast amount of sensitive data, including names, addresses, credit card numbers, phone numbers, passport numbers, travel locations, and arrival and departure dates of customers. This indicates a failure in the system's ability to protect the value of the data it processes, leading to potential misuse of the stolen information for identity theft or other malicious purposes [77661].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure, which involves erroneous behavior with inconsistent responses and interactions. The breach in this case was more focused on unauthorized access and data theft rather than exhibiting inconsistent or conflicting behaviors within the system [77661].
(f) other: The software failure incident can be further described as a failure in security and data protection. The breach highlighted a significant failure in the system's security measures, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive customer data for an extended period. This failure in security protocols and data protection mechanisms led to the exposure of a wide range of personal information, raising concerns about the system's overall security posture and data privacy practices [77661]. |