| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the exploitation of a flaw in Mac's keychain system by a malicious app, known as KeySteal, was reported by a teenage security researcher named Linus Henze [81149]. This incident highlights a vulnerability in Apple's keychain system that could potentially allow hackers to access sensitive information stored in the keychain, such as passwords for various applications.
(b) The article does not provide information about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 81149 is related to the design phase. The incident was caused by a flaw in the code that runs a Mac's internal stores of passwords, called keychains. This flaw allowed a malicious app to steal passwords stored in the keychain, affecting Macs running Apple's Mohave operating system or any MacOS released prior to that [81149].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 81149 is also related to the operation phase. The exploit demonstrated by the teenage security researcher required users to run malicious software on their Mac for the attack to work. This highlights the importance of the operation and potential misuse of the system by users in enabling such attacks to occur [81149]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is within_system. The incident involved a malicious app exploiting a flaw in the code that runs a Mac's internal stores of passwords, known as keychains. The exploit, named KeySteal, allowed the malicious application to access passwords stored in the "login" and "System" keychain on Macs running Apple's Mohave operating system or any MacOS released prior to that [81149]. The exploit required the user to run malicious software on their Mac, making it a high prerequisite for hackers to target individuals. The exploit demonstrated by the teenage security researcher highlighted a vulnerability within the system that could be exploited by attackers to gain access to sensitive information [81149]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 81149 occurred due to non-human actions. Specifically, it was a malicious app exploit named KeySteal that took advantage of a flaw in the code running a Mac's internal stores of passwords, known as keychains. The exploit allowed the malicious application to access passwords for various apps without direct human involvement [81149]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 81149 occurred due to contributing factors that originate in software. The incident involved a malicious app exploiting a flaw in the code that runs a Mac's internal stores of passwords, known as keychains. The exploit, named KeySteal, allowed the malicious application to access passwords for various apps by taking advantage of the vulnerability in the keychain system [81149]. This incident showcases a software-related failure where the flaw in the software code enabled unauthorized access to sensitive information.
(b) The software failure incident in Article 81149 was primarily caused by contributing factors originating in software. The exploit named KeySteal demonstrated by the teenage security researcher, Linus Henze, targeted a flaw in the code that manages a Mac's keychains, which store passwords for various applications. The exploit leveraged this software vulnerability to access passwords without authorization, highlighting a software-related failure [81149]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in Article 81149 is malicious in nature. A teenage security researcher named Linus Henze discovered and demonstrated an exploit called KeySteal that takes advantage of a flaw in the code running on Mac's internal stores of passwords, known as keychains. The exploit allows malicious applications to access a list of passwords for various apps, potentially compromising sensitive information like online banking credentials. Henze highlighted the seriousness of the flaw, emphasizing that attackers could gain access to all stored passwords, posing a significant threat to users [81149]. Additionally, the exploit was confirmed to work by Apple security researcher Patrick Wardle, further underscoring the malicious intent behind the software failure incident. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was not due to poor decisions. The incident was caused by a malicious app exploiting a flaw in the code that runs a Mac's internal stores of passwords, known as keychains. The teenage security researcher, Linus Henze, demonstrated how the attack would work, highlighting the vulnerability in the system that allowed the theft of passwords stored in keychains [81149]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident in Article #81149 occurred due to development incompetence. A teenage security researcher named Linus Henze discovered a flaw in the code that runs a Mac's internal stores of passwords, called keychains, which allowed a malicious app to steal passwords. Henze demonstrated the exploit on YouTube and highlighted the potential risk to users, especially for apps like online banking that store passwords in the keychain. Despite confirming the exploit's effectiveness, Apple did not provide a comment on the issue. Additionally, Henze and another security researcher, Patrick Wardle, criticized Apple for not incentivizing researchers to report such flaws by offering rewards, which could help improve the security of sensitive systems like keychains [81149].
(b) The software failure incident in Article #81149 was not accidental but rather a deliberate exploit discovered by the security researcher Linus Henze. Henze intentionally created the exploit, named KeySteal, to demonstrate how a malicious app could access passwords stored in a Mac's keychain. The exploit targeted the "login" and "System" keychains on Macs running Apple's Mohave operating system or any MacOS released prior to that. Henze chose not to provide Apple with details of his malicious code due to the company's policy of not compensating researchers for finding flaws that hackers could exploit. This intentional act by Henze highlights the deliberate nature of the software failure incident [81149]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article is temporary. The incident was caused by a flaw in the code that runs a Mac's internal stores of passwords, allowing a malicious app to steal passwords. This incident is temporary because it was triggered by specific circumstances, such as the exploit in the code, and can be mitigated by taking certain actions like manually locking the keychains on the Mac to prevent unauthorized access [81149]. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article is not related to a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. Instead, it involves a malicious app exploiting a flaw in the code that runs a Mac's internal stores of passwords, called keychains, to steal passwords [81149].
(b) omission: The incident is not related to a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The malicious app in this case actively pulls up a list of passwords for apps that commonly interface with computers, demonstrating intentional action rather than omission [81149].
(c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to a timing failure where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The exploit demonstrated by the teenage security researcher involves accessing passwords from the keychain, indicating a direct and immediate action rather than a timing issue [81149].
(d) value: The incident is related to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The exploit takes advantage of a flaw in the code that runs a Mac's keychains, allowing the malicious app to access and steal passwords stored within the keychain, which is not the intended function of the system [81149].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not related to a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The exploit described in the article involves a specific and targeted action of stealing passwords through exploiting a flaw in the keychain system, rather than exhibiting inconsistent behavior [81149].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a security vulnerability exploit. The incident involves a malicious app exploiting a flaw in the keychain system to access and steal passwords stored on a Mac, highlighting a security vulnerability rather than a traditional software failure like a crash or timing issue [81149]. |