| Recurring |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to Telegram's bot platform not incorporating the encryption algorithm used to protect its chats is a unique incident within the organization itself. There is no mention in the article of a similar incident happening before within Telegram or with its products and services [80085].
(b) There is no information in the provided article about a similar incident 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 case of Telegram's bot platform. The failure was due to the design decision not to incorporate the encryption algorithm (MTProto) used to protect chats into the bot platform. This decision essentially downgraded the encryption of chats that included bots, making it easier for a third party to intercept messages [80085].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in how the reduced security in Telegram chats that include bots could be exploited by attackers. Researchers were able to snoop on a hacker's bot communications by obtaining the bot API token and Chat ID, which are embedded in every Telegram communication. This operation-related failure allowed for potential extraction of sensitive information from chats with bots [80085]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident discussed in the article is primarily within the system. The failure was related to the design decision made by Telegram not to incorporate its encryption protocol, MTProto, into the bot platform. This decision led to a situation where adding a bot to a chat or channel essentially downgraded its encryption, potentially making it easier for a third party to intercept messages [80085]. The issue stemmed from the way Telegram's bot platform was implemented, which did not align with the core encryption protocol used for secure communications within the app. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to non-human actions. The failure was due to the fact that Telegram's bot platform does not incorporate the encryption algorithm (MTProto) used to protect its chats, which undermines the security of the messages when bots are added to chats or channels [80085]. This issue was discovered by security researchers at Forcepoint while researching a sample of remote management malware that exploited the Telegram bot API to exfiltrate data from chats [80085]. The lack of proper encryption in the bot platform was a contributing factor to the failure, introduced without direct human participation in the incident. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is not related to hardware issues. It primarily focuses on a security vulnerability in the software itself, specifically in Telegram's bot platform, which does not incorporate the encryption algorithm used to protect chats, potentially undermining security [80085].
(b) The software failure incident is directly related to software issues. The vulnerability lies in how Telegram's bot platform operates without using the encryption protocol (MTProto) that the main messaging service relies on for secure communication. This design decision of not incorporating MTProto in the bot platform leads to a downgrade in encryption when bots are added to chats or channels, exposing users to potential interception of messages [80085]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident discussed in the article is related to a malicious objective. The incident involved security researchers discovering that Telegram's bot platform, which does not use the encryption protocol MTProto like the rest of Telegram's messaging system, could potentially undermine the security of chats and channels by allowing third parties to intercept messages [80085]. Additionally, the incident involved researchers being able to snoop on a hacker's bot communications using the Telegram API, highlighting the potential for malicious actors to exploit the bot feature for unauthorized access to communications [80085].
(b) The incident does not involve a non-malicious objective. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident:
The software failure incident related to Telegram's bot platform not incorporating the encryption algorithm used to protect chats was due to poor decisions made in the design and implementation of the bot platform. The decision to rely on the transport layer security protocol (TLS) instead of Telegram's encryption protocol (MTProto) for the bot platform essentially downgraded the encryption in chats and channels that included bots, making it easier for a third party to intercept messages [80085]. This poor decision introduced a significant security vulnerability into the system. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the case of Telegram's bot platform. The article highlights that the bot platform of Telegram does not incorporate the encryption algorithm (MTProto) used to protect its chats, which undermines the security of the messages exchanged. This lack of proper encryption implementation in the bot platform can be attributed to a development oversight or incompetence in ensuring robust security measures [80085].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is demonstrated in the discovery made by Forcepoint researchers while investigating a malware scheme. They accidentally discovered that Telegram chats including bots have reduced security due to the mechanism within the code that awaited commands from a Telegram bot. This accidental discovery led to the realization that the bot communications over HTTPS could potentially be intercepted, highlighting a failure introduced accidentally during the development and deployment of the malware [80085]. |
| Duration |
permanent |
The software failure incident discussed in the article is more of a permanent nature rather than temporary. The failure is due to contributing factors introduced by all circumstances, specifically related to the design decision made by Telegram in implementing its bot platform without incorporating the encryption algorithm MTProto used to protect its chats. This design decision essentially downgrades the encryption in chats that include bots, making it easier for a third party to intercept messages [80085]. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions [Article 80085].
(b) omission: The failure in this incident is not due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [Article 80085].
(c) timing: The failure is not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly, but too late or too early [Article 80085].
(d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, specifically in terms of encryption security being compromised by the use of bots in Telegram chats [Article 80085].
(e) byzantine: The failure does not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [Article 80085].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident is related to a security flaw where the encryption scheme of Telegram is compromised when bots are added to chats, leading to a downgrade in encryption security [Article 80085]. |