| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- Symantec downplayed a data breach incident where a hacker accessed passwords and a list of clients, including large Australian companies and government agencies. The incident involved an isolated demo lab in Australia used to demonstrate Symantec security solutions. Symantec stated that no sensitive personal data was hosted or extracted from the demo lab, and their corporate network was not compromised [85992].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- The incident involved a list of purported clients of Symantec's CloudSOC services, including Australian federal police, big four banks, insurers, universities, retailers, and departments in New South Wales and federal public service. Some federal departments confirmed they do not use Symantec's CloudSOC services, while others queried the breach with Symantec because they are customers. Departments like Social Services, Infrastructure, Transport, Cities, and Regional Development, and Home Affairs stated they do not use CloudSOC services but use other Symantec products [85992]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to the design phase. The incident involved a data breach where a hacker accessed passwords and a list of purported clients of Symantec's CloudSOC services. Symantec downplayed the incident, stating that it occurred in an isolated demo lab in Australia used to demonstrate security solutions. The hacker extracted a list of clients, account managers, and account numbers, but Symantec claimed that the data in the system were dummy emails and non-sensitive files for demonstration purposes only. This indicates a failure in the design phase where the security measures in place were not sufficient to prevent unauthorized access to the demo lab [85992].
(b) The software failure incident does not seem to be directly related to the operation phase. There is no indication in the article that the failure was due to factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system. The incident primarily revolved around a data breach in a demo lab, and there was no mention of operational issues contributing to the breach. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident reported in the article was within the system. Symantec downplayed a data breach that occurred in an isolated, self-enclosed demo lab in Australia, which was not connected to Symantec's corporate network. The incident involved the extraction of a list of purported clients of Symantec's CloudSOC services, account managers, and account numbers. Symantec stated that the data contained in the system were "dummy e-mails and a small number of low-level and non-sensitive files for demonstration purposes" in a demo lab "not used for production purposes" [Article 85992]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the Symantec data breach was not due to human actions but rather non-human actions. The breach occurred in an isolated demo lab in Australia that was not connected to Symantec's corporate network. The hacker was able to access passwords and a list of purported clients by exploiting vulnerabilities in this demo lab environment, which was used for demonstration purposes and not for production purposes [85992].
(b) Human actions were involved in the response to the incident. Symantec downplayed the breach as a "minor incident" and stated that no sensitive personal data was compromised. They emphasized that the data in the demo lab were dummy emails and non-sensitive files for demonstration purposes. Symantec also mentioned that they take cybersecurity incidents seriously and comply with data protection laws in various countries [85992]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article does not seem to be related to hardware issues. The incident was described as a data breach where a hacker accessed passwords and a list of clients from a demo lab in Australia used by Symantec for demonstrating security solutions. Symantec clarified that the demo lab was isolated and not connected to Symantec's corporate network. The breach involved the extraction of a list of clients and account information, but Symantec stated that the data in the system were dummy emails and non-sensitive files used for demonstration purposes [Article 85992].
(b) The software failure incident in the article is related to software issues. The breach occurred in a demo lab used to demonstrate Symantec's security solutions, indicating that the incident originated from software vulnerabilities or weaknesses in the security measures implemented by Symantec. The hacker was able to access passwords, client lists, and account information from the demo lab, highlighting a failure in the software's security protocols [Article 85992]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 85992 was malicious in nature. A hacker accessed passwords and a list of purported clients of Symantec's CloudSOC services, including large Australian companies and government agencies. The hacker claimed responsibility for making Medicare data available for sale on the dark web. Symantec downplayed the incident, stating it was a "minor incident" involving an isolated demo lab in Australia, not connected to Symantec's corporate network. The incident involved the extraction of data from the demo lab, which Symantec claimed contained dummy emails and non-sensitive files for demonstration purposes. The incident was not reported because Symantec concluded that no sensitive personal data was compromised [85992]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- Symantec downplayed the data breach incident as a "minor incident" involving an isolated demo lab in Australia used for demonstrating security solutions [85992].
- The incident was not reported because Symantec concluded that no sensitive personal data was compromised, and the data extracted were described as dummy emails and non-sensitive files for demonstration purposes [85992].
- Symantec insisted that the list of purported clients extracted by the hacker was an old list used for testing purposes and not necessarily actual Symantec customers [85992].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- The incident was described as an isolated incident in a demo lab not connected to Symantec's corporate network, suggesting it may have been an unintended consequence of having such a lab [85992].
- Symantec emphasized that the data extracted were not sensitive and were for demonstration purposes, indicating a potential accidental exposure rather than a deliberate breach [85992]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was not due to development incompetence. Symantec downplayed the data breach incident, stating it was a "minor incident" involving an isolated demo lab in Australia that was not connected to Symantec's corporate network. Symantec emphasized that no sensitive personal data was hosted in or extracted from the demo lab, and the data extracted by the hacker were dummy emails and non-sensitive files used for demonstration purposes [85992].
(b) The software failure incident in the article was accidental. Symantec described the incident as a "minor incident" that occurred in an isolated demo lab in Australia, not connected to Symantec's corporate network. The hacker was able to access a list of purported clients of Symantec's CloudSOC services, account managers, and account numbers, which Symantec claimed were dummy emails and non-sensitive files used for demonstration purposes in the demo lab [85992]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the article [85992] was temporary. Symantec downplayed the incident as a "minor incident" involving an isolated demo lab in Australia, not connected to Symantec's corporate network. The incident was related to a hacker accessing passwords and a list of purported clients, but Symantec stated that no sensitive personal data was hosted or extracted from the demo lab. The incident was not reported because Symantec concluded that no sensitive data triggering regulatory obligations was disclosed. Symantec emphasized that the data in the system were dummy e-mails and non-sensitive files for demonstration purposes in a demo lab not used for production purposes. |
| Behaviour |
other |
(a) crash: The incident involving Symantec was not a crash as the system did not lose its state and stop performing its intended functions. The incident was described as a "minor incident" involving a demo lab that was not connected to Symantec's corporate network [Article 85992].
(b) omission: The system did not omit to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) in this incident. The data breach incident did not involve the system failing to perform its functions as intended [Article 85992].
(c) timing: The incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions too late or too early. It was not a timing-related failure [Article 85992].
(d) value: The incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. Symantec stated that no sensitive personal data was hosted in or extracted from the demo lab, and the data contained in the system were described as "dummy e-mails and a small number of low-level and non-sensitive files for demonstration purposes" [Article 85992].
(e) byzantine: The incident did not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. There was no mention of the system exhibiting inconsistent behavior or responses in the context of this incident [Article 85992].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in this case could be described as a security breach rather than a failure in the traditional sense. The incident involved a hacker accessing passwords and a list of purported clients, but Symantec downplayed it as a "minor incident" involving a demo lab not connected to the corporate network [Article 85992]. |