| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- Microsoft experienced a similar incident before where a hacker had access to email accounts from Outlook, MSN, and Hotmail between Jan. 1 and March 28, 2019, after stealing login credentials for a Microsoft customer support agent [83526].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- There is no information in the provided article about the software failure incident happening again 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 article [83526] where Microsoft's Outlook was hacked, allowing hackers to access email content. The breach occurred due to hackers stealing login credentials for a Microsoft customer support agent, indicating a failure in the system's design or security measures that allowed unauthorized access to sensitive information.
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the same article [83526] where Microsoft had to address the breach by disabling compromised credentials and blocking the perpetrators' access. This action was taken to mitigate the impact of the hack caused by the operation or misuse of the system, highlighting a failure in the operational security measures or response protocols. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 83526 falls under the within_system category. The incident was caused by a hacker gaining access to email accounts within Microsoft's Outlook, MSN, and Hotmail services by stealing login credentials from a Microsoft customer support agent. Microsoft had to disable the compromised credentials and block the perpetrators' access to address the breach, indicating that the failure originated from within the system itself [83526]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions. The breach occurred after hackers were able to access emails for months by stealing login credentials for a Microsoft customer support agent [83526]. The hackers were able to read email content, including folder names, subject lines, and names of other email addresses. Microsoft had to disable the compromised credentials and block the perpetrators' access to address the issue. Initially, Microsoft stated that no login credentials were stolen and that attackers could not read the contents of emails, but later had to revise their statement after it was found that the attackers had full access to email content.
(b) Human actions also played a role in this software failure incident. The breach was made possible by the hackers stealing login credentials for a Microsoft customer support agent, which allowed them to gain unauthorized access to email accounts from Outlook, MSN, and Hotmail. Additionally, Microsoft had to respond by warning affected individuals to watch out for phishing emails and recommending password changes to mitigate the impact of the breach [83526]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 83526 was not due to hardware issues but rather a hack that originated in software. Microsoft's Outlook hack allowed hackers to access email content by stealing login credentials for a Microsoft customer support agent. The breach affected Outlook, MSN, and Hotmail accounts, indicating a software vulnerability rather than a hardware failure [83526]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious, non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 83526 is malicious in nature. Hackers were able to access and read email content from Outlook, MSN, and Hotmail accounts after stealing login credentials for a Microsoft customer support agent. The breach allowed potential hackers to read folder names, subject lines, and names of other email addresses. Microsoft initially stated that no login credentials were stolen and that attackers could not read the contents of emails, but later had to revise their statement after it was discovered that the attackers had full access to email content. Microsoft mentioned that potential hackers could only read full email content for about 6% of affected Outlook users. The incident involved unauthorized access to sensitive information with the intent to harm the system and compromise user data [83526].
(b) The software failure incident is also non-malicious in the sense that Microsoft took steps to address the breach by disabling compromised credentials and blocking the perpetrators' access. The company notified affected users and recommended changing passwords to prevent further unauthorized access. Microsoft's response to the incident included warning affected individuals to watch out for phishing emails and taking measures to enhance security against potential cyber threats like phishing attempts [83526]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Microsoft Outlook hack can be attributed to poor_decisions. Microsoft initially notified affected users that no login credentials were stolen and that attackers could not read the contents of emails. However, it was later revealed that the hackers had full access to email content, including folder names, subject lines, and names of other email addresses. This discrepancy in the initial communication and the actual extent of the breach indicates poor decision-making in assessing and communicating the severity of the incident [83526]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the Microsoft Outlook hack incident. Microsoft initially notified affected users that no login credentials were stolen and that attackers could not read the contents of emails. However, it was later discovered that the hackers had full access to email content, including reading folder names, subject lines, and names of other email addresses. This discrepancy in the initial assessment and the actual extent of the breach indicates a failure in accurately assessing the impact of the hack, possibly due to a lack of professional competence in understanding the severity of the situation [83526].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is seen in the breach that allowed potential hackers to access people's emails from Outlook, MSN, and Hotmail accounts. The breach occurred after hackers stole login credentials for a Microsoft customer support agent, providing unauthorized access to email accounts. This unauthorized access was not intentional but occurred accidentally due to the compromised credentials, highlighting a failure in security measures that led to the incident [83526]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 83526 was temporary. Initially, Microsoft stated that no login credentials were stolen, and the attackers could not read the contents of emails. However, it was later discovered that the hackers had full access to email content, affecting about 6% of affected Outlook users. Microsoft revised its statement and took actions to address the breach, such as disabling compromised credentials and blocking access for the perpetrators [83526]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. The incident involved a breach where hackers were able to access email accounts from Outlook, MSN, and Hotmail, and read email content after stealing login credentials for a Microsoft customer support agent. This unauthorized access to email content can be seen as a failure of the system losing control over the security of the email accounts, resulting in a crash of the intended security functions [83526].
(b) omission: The incident does not directly relate to a failure of omission where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [83526].
(c) timing: The incident does not involve a failure related to timing, where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early [83526].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be associated with a failure related to value, as the hackers were able to read email content, including folder names, subject lines, and names of other email addresses, which is an incorrect performance of the system's intended function [83526].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not align with a failure related to a byzantine behavior, where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [83526].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a security breach leading to unauthorized access to email content, compromising the privacy and security of the affected accounts [83526]. |