| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article reports that Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) customers were put at risk of cyber-attack due to flawed security software called Thor Foresight Enterprise offered by Heimdal Security. This incident highlights a security flaw in the software that made customers less secure, allowing attackers to potentially gain complete control of a victim's computer, including access to emails, internet history, and bank details. Heimdal Security responded by fixing the bug, but the incident showcases a failure within the security software provided by Heimdal, impacting RBS customers [82457].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
There is no specific information in the provided article indicating that a similar incident has happened at other organizations with the same software or with products and services from Heimdal Security. Therefore, it is unknown if this software failure incident has occurred at multiple organizations based on the information provided in the article. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 82457 was related to the design phase. The security flaw in the Thor Foresight Enterprise software, recommended to RBS customers, was a result of a flaw in the software itself that made customers less secure. The flaw was discovered by Pen Test Partners, highlighting a serious issue that allowed attackers to gain access to a victim's computer easily, potentially compromising sensitive information like emails, internet history, and bank details. This flaw was a result of a design issue in the security software, indicating a failure in the development phase [82457].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 82457 was not directly related to the operation phase. The vulnerability in the software was not caused by the operation or misuse of the system but rather by a flaw in the design of the security software itself. The flaw allowed attackers to exploit the software to gain unauthorized access to users' computers, showcasing a design flaw rather than an operational issue [82457]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 82457 was within the system. The security flaw in the Thor Foresight Enterprise software, offered by Heimdal Security and recommended to RBS customers, was discovered by Pen Test Partners. This flaw allowed attackers to gain access to a victim's computer easily, potentially compromising emails, internet history, and bank details. The flaw was within the software itself, indicating a failure originating from within the system [82457]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 82457 occurred due to non-human_actions, specifically a security flaw in the Thor Foresight Enterprise software created by Heimdal Security. The flaw was discovered by security researchers from Pen Test Partners, who found a serious vulnerability that could allow attackers to gain access to a victim's computer easily. This flaw made customers less secure and put RBS customers at risk of cyber-attack [82457]. The company Heimdal Security quickly responded to the discovery, issued a fix, and automatically updated affected endpoints to address the vulnerability [82457].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 82457 did not explicitly mention any contributing factors introduced by human actions that led to the security flaw. The focus was on the flaw in the security software itself, which was identified by security researchers and subsequently fixed by the company [82457]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The article does not mention any hardware-related contributing factors that led to the software failure incident. Therefore, it is unknown if the incident was caused by hardware issues [82457].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident in this case was due to a security flaw in the Thor Foresight Enterprise software provided by Heimdal Security. The flaw allowed attackers to gain access to a victim's computer easily, potentially compromising sensitive information such as emails, internet history, and bank details. This flaw originated in the software itself, highlighting a critical issue in the security software's design and implementation [82457]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 82457 was malicious in nature. Security researchers uncovered a flaw in the security software, Thor Foresight Enterprise, which made RBS customers less secure and put them at risk of cyber-attacks. The flaw allowed attackers to gain access to a victim's computer easily, potentially giving them complete control over the victim's emails, internet history, and bank details. This indicates that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by humans with the intent to harm the system [82457]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was due to poor_decisions. The security flaw in the Thor Foresight Enterprise software, recommended to RBS customers, was a result of a serious flaw that made customers less secure. Security researchers discovered the flaw, which allowed attackers to gain access to a victim's computer easily, potentially compromising sensitive information like emails, internet history, and bank details. The flaw was considered to be extremely serious, and the security researchers mentioned that the software fell far short of the highest possible standards [82457]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 82457 was primarily due to development incompetence. The security flaw in the Thor Foresight Enterprise software, offered by Heimdal Security and recommended to RBS customers, was discovered by Pen Test Partners. Security Researcher Ken Munro highlighted that the flaw was extremely serious, allowing attackers to gain access to a victim's computer easily, potentially compromising sensitive information like emails, internet history, and bank details. Munro emphasized that the security software, which runs at a high level of privilege on a user's machine, should be held to the highest possible standards, indicating a failure in the development process to ensure robust security measures were in place [82457].
(b) Additionally, the incident also involved accidental factors. Heimdal Security responded promptly to the discovery of the security flaw and fixed it. The company's chief executive, Morten Kjaersgaard, acknowledged the seriousness of the issue and mentioned that they issued a fix and automatically updated 97% of all affected endpoints within four days of being informed. This quick response indicates that the vulnerability was not intentional but rather an accidental oversight in the software development process [82457]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article was temporary. The security flaw in the Thor Foresight Enterprise software was discovered by Pen Test Partners, and Heimdal Security promptly fixed the bug within a short period after being informed. Heimdal's chief executive mentioned that they automatically updated 97% of affected endpoints within four days of being informed, and the rest shortly after. The vulnerability was only "in the wild" for about three weeks, affecting around 50,000 computers [Article 82457]. |
| Behaviour |
unknown |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in Article 82457 can be categorized as a crash. The security flaw in the Thor Foresight Enterprise software allowed attackers to gain access to a victim's computer very easily, potentially leading to complete control over the victim's emails, internet history, and bank details. This indicates a significant failure in the system's security mechanisms, resulting in a loss of control and functionality [82457]. |