| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to blocking access to Imgur due to mistaken identification of "indecent images of children" has happened within the same organization, Virgin Media. The incident was attributed to a technical issue with Virgin Media's Web Blocker system used to carry out requests from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) [87371].
(b) There is no information in the provided article indicating that a similar software failure incident has happened at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. Virgin Media mistakenly blocked customers from visiting Imgur due to a technical issue with their Web Blocker system used to carry out requests from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) [Article 87371].
(b) The software failure incident is not related to the operation phase or misuse of the system. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident involving Virgin Media blocking customers from accessing Imgur was primarily within the system. The issue was attributed to a technical problem with Virgin Media's Web Blocker system, which is used to carry out requests from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) [Article 87371]. The blocking of Imgur was not intentional and was a result of a mistake within Virgin Media's own system, rather than an external factor causing the failure. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions. Virgin Media mistakenly blocked customers from visiting Imgur due to a technical issue with their Web Blocker system used to carry out requests from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) [Article 87371]. The blocking was triggered by the system's detection of suspected "indecent images of children" on the site, leading to the denial of access to users. This indicates that the failure was a result of automated processes within the Web Blocker system rather than direct human actions. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was not attributed to hardware issues. It was mentioned that Virgin Media was investigating a technical issue with their Web Blocker system, which is software used to carry out requests from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) [87371].
(b) The software failure incident in the article was primarily attributed to a technical issue with Virgin Media's Web Blocker system, which is software used to carry out requests from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) [87371]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is non-malicious. Virgin Media mistakenly blocked customers from visiting Imgur due to a technical issue with their Web Blocker system, which was used to carry out requests from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) [87371]. The alert shown to users mentioned suspected "indecent images of children" on the site, leading to the denial of access. Virgin Media clarified that it would only block URLs if compelled to do so through a court order or through the IWF, indicating that the blocking was not intentional but a result of a technical glitch. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
The software failure incident reported in Article 87371 was more aligned with accidental_decisions. Virgin Media mistakenly blocked customers from visiting Imgur due to a technical issue with their Web Blocker system, which led to users being shown an alert about suspected "indecent images of children" on the site. This was not a deliberate decision but rather a mistake or unintended consequence of the system's operation. The incident was not a result of poor decisions but rather an accidental error in the implementation of the blocking mechanism. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was not attributed to development incompetence. It was mentioned that Virgin Media was investigating a technical issue with their Web Blocker system used to carry out requests from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) [Article 87371].
(b) The software failure incident in the article was categorized as accidental. Virgin Media mistakenly blocked customers from visiting Imgur due to a technical issue with their Web Blocker system, leading to customers being shown an alert saying access was denied because of suspected "indecent images of children" on the site [Article 87371]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 87371 was temporary. Virgin Media mistakenly blocked customers from visiting Imgur due to a technical issue with their Web Blocker system used to carry out requests from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). This issue led to customers being shown an alert incorrectly stating that access was denied because of suspected "indecent images of children" on the site. Virgin Media clarified that they would not normally ban a service outright and that the blocking was not intentional but rather a result of a glitch in their system [87371]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. Virgin Media's Web Blocker system mistakenly blocked customers from accessing Imgur, leading to an alert denying access to the site. This resulted in the system losing its state and not performing its intended function of allowing users to visit Imgur [Article 87371].
(b) omission: The incident does not align with a failure due to omission as the system did not omit to perform its intended functions but rather actively blocked access to Imgur [Article 87371].
(c) timing: The incident does not relate to a failure due to timing, where the system performs its intended functions but at the wrong time. Instead, the issue was a direct blockage of access to Imgur [Article 87371].
(d) value: The software failure incident does not fall under a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The blockage of Imgur was not about incorrect execution but rather an erroneous blocking decision [Article 87371].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure, which involves inconsistent responses and interactions. In this case, the system's response was consistent in blocking access to Imgur for all affected users [Article 87371].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as an unexpected and severe misclassification error. The system mistakenly flagged Imgur as containing "indecent images of children," leading to the blockage. This misclassification resulted in a significant impact on user access and perception of the site, highlighting a critical flaw in the system's decision-making process [Article 87371]. |