| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Ring doorbells allowing hackers to splice fake footage into the video feed and listen in on live audio and video broadcasts is not the first security issue faced by Ring. In a previous incident reported in January, Ring allowed its employees to watch live footage from customers' cameras, raising concerns about privacy and security. The employees reportedly had access to unfiltered, round-the-clock feeds of some users' footage, including footage from inside users' homes. This incident highlighted a breach of privacy and security protocols within the organization [80887].
(b) The software failure incident involving Ring doorbells is not an isolated case, as similar security issues have been reported with smart devices from other companies as well. The vulnerability discovered in Ring's smart doorbells, which allowed hackers to manipulate the video feed and listen in on audio, raises concerns about the overall security of smart home devices. This incident serves as a reminder of the potential risks associated with IoT devices and the importance of robust security measures across various organizations offering similar products and services [80887]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be attributed to a flaw in the smart doorbells made by Amazon-owned Ring. Security researchers identified a vulnerability that allowed hackers to splice fake footage into the video feed and potentially listen in on live audio and video broadcasts. This flaw was discovered by Dojo, the network security division of cyber security firm BullGuard, and was presented at the annual Mobile World Congress conference [80887].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase was due to the way audio and video data were transmitted between the Ring app and the video camera in plain text. This allowed hackers to listen in on video and audio recordings from the Ring device. Additionally, hackers could insert fake footage into the user's camera feed after joining the same WiFi network. This operation-related failure was exploited by attackers who were able to capture Ring data traffic and inject their own footage onto the device's video feed, which worked smoothly and was undetectable from within the app [80887]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident involving the Ring smart doorbells was due to a flaw within the system itself. Security researchers identified a vulnerability in the Ring app that allowed hackers to intercept audio and video transmissions in plain text, enabling them to listen in on live broadcasts and insert fake footage into the video feed [80887].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident was also influenced by factors outside the system. For example, the attack required the hacker to either join the device owner's WiFi network or create a rogue WiFi network and wait for the device owner to join, indicating that external access to the network was a contributing factor to the vulnerability [80887]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the Ring smart doorbells was due to non-human actions, specifically a flaw in the software that allowed hackers to intercept and manipulate the video feed and audio transmissions [80887].
(b) The software failure incident in the Ring smart doorbells was also influenced by human actions. The vulnerability was discovered by security researchers from BullGuard's Dojo network security unit through ethical hacking practices, highlighting the role of human actions in identifying and addressing the flaw [80887]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The vulnerability in the smart doorbells made by Ring allowed hackers to splice fake footage into the video feed and potentially listen in on live audio and video broadcasts [80887].
- The flaw was discovered by security researchers from BullGuard's Dojo network security unit, indicating that the issue originated in the hardware of the Ring doorbells [80887].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The flaw in the Ring doorbells' software allowed hackers to intercept audio and video transmissions in plain text, enabling them to insert fake footage into the camera feed [80887].
- Ring addressed the software flaw by releasing a patch in the app's latest software update, version 3.4.7, indicating that the failure originated in the software of the Ring app [80887]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Ring smart doorbells made by Amazon-owned Ring was malicious in nature. Security researchers identified a flaw that could allow hackers to splice fake footage into the video feed, listen in on live audio and video broadcasts, and potentially gather sensitive information about households [80887]. The vulnerability was discovered by Dojo, the network security division of cyber security firm BullGuard, through ethical hacking techniques. Hackers could exploit the flaw by intercepting data packets in plain text, joining the same WiFi network as the device owner, and injecting their own footage into the video feed, leading to dangerous scenarios like convincing homeowners that someone is at their front door [80887].
Additionally, in a separate incident reported in the article, Ring employees were found to have access to live footage from customers' cameras, raising concerns about privacy and security. The employees reportedly had access to unfiltered, round-the-clock feeds of some users' footage, which were shared between employees on company servers. This incident highlights a breach of privacy and security protocols, indicating a malicious intent to access sensitive customer data [80887]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Ring smart doorbells was primarily due to poor decisions made in the design and implementation of the device's security features. The vulnerability that allowed hackers to splice fake footage into the video feed and listen in on live audio and video broadcasts was a result of transmitting audio and video data between the Ring app and the video camera in plain text, making it easy for hackers to intercept and manipulate the data [80887]. Additionally, the incident where Ring employees were found to have access to live footage from customers' cameras raised concerns about privacy and security practices, indicating poor decisions in handling sensitive customer data [80887]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence can be seen in the case of the flaw discovered in smart doorbells made by Amazon-owned Ring. Security researchers identified a vulnerability that allowed hackers to splice fake footage into the video feed and potentially listen in on live audio and video broadcasts [80887]. The flaw was due to the transmission of audio and video between the Ring app and the video camera in plain text, making it possible for hackers to intercept and manipulate the data. This indicates a lack of professional competence in ensuring secure communication protocols and encryption standards in the development of the Ring doorbell software.
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors can be observed in the unintentional exposure of Ring customers' live footage to employees. In January, it was reported that Ring allowed its employees to watch live footage from customers' cameras, including unfiltered feeds of some users' footage [80887]. This accidental exposure of sensitive customer data was not intentional but occurred due to the permissions and access granted to employees, leading to a breach of privacy and security protocols. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to the Ring smart doorbells was temporary. The vulnerability that allowed hackers to splice fake footage into the video feed and listen in on live audio and video broadcasts was identified by security researchers from BullGuard's Dojo network security unit [80887]. This flaw was subsequently patched by Ring in the app's latest software update, version 3.4.7 [80887]. The temporary nature of this software failure is evident from the fact that once the flaw was fixed in the software update, users who updated to the latest version were no longer affected by the vulnerability [80887]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and stops performing its intended functions.
(b) omission: The software failure incident in the article involves omission as hackers were able to listen in on live audio and video broadcasts from Ring doorbells and insert fake footage into the user's camera feed [80887].
(c) timing: The software failure incident in the article does not involve timing issues where the system performs its intended functions but at the wrong time.
(d) value: The software failure incident in the article involves a value failure as hackers were able to manipulate the video feed and insert fake footage, leading to incorrect information being displayed to users [80887].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident in the article does not involve a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The other behavior in this software failure incident is related to a security vulnerability that allowed hackers to intercept and manipulate data packets containing audio and video transmissions between the Ring app and the video camera, leading to unauthorized access and manipulation of the feed [80887]. |