| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- The incident in Ecuador involving the massive data breach exposing the personal information of millions of people was linked to Novaestrat, a small online data consulting firm in the city of Esmeraldas [90384].
- Novaestrat, the company responsible for the information breach, was founded by former top telecommunication officials [90384].
- The breach was discovered on an unsecured server in Miami, and the data included sensitive information from Ecuadorean government registries, an automobile association, and a state-owned bank [90384].
- The breach was closed on September 11, and the exposed data included information about people's family members, employment details, bank information, and even the national identification number of Julian Assange [90384].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- The incident in Ecuador was compared to a previous major data security breach in Bulgaria, where the personal information of as many as five million Bulgarians was stolen [90384].
- The Bulgarian breach highlighted the vulnerability of data held by national institutions and the danger of hackers taking advantage of weak security [90384].
- In the Bulgarian case, a self-proclaimed hacker criticized the country's cybersecurity and claimed responsibility for the breach, leading to arrests of workers and the owner of a cybersecurity firm [90384]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase:
The incident in Ecuador involving the massive data breach affecting up to 20 million people was primarily a failure in the design phase. The breach occurred due to a lack of proper security protocols on a server managed by Novaestrat, an Ecuadorian data analysis company. The server in Miami containing sensitive personal information did not have the necessary protection measures in place, allowing almost anyone to access the data [90384, 89520].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase:
The software failure incident in Ecuador can also be attributed to the operation phase. The breach was discovered by experts conducting a large-scale web mapping project, scanning IP ports and identifying vulnerabilities that indicated an open database. This operational oversight led to the exposure of personal data of millions of individuals, highlighting a failure in the operation or maintenance of the system [89520]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in Ecuador, where personal data of up to 20 million people was exposed, was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. The incident involved a massive data breach where a server containing sensitive information was not adequately protected by the company Novaestrat, an Ecuadorian data consulting firm [90384, 89520].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident in Ecuador was also influenced by contributing factors that originated from outside the system. For example, the breach was discovered by vpnMentor, an internet security firm, which indicates an external entity identified the vulnerability. Additionally, the breach was closed after being discovered, suggesting external intervention to address the issue [90384, 89520]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
- The software failure incident in Ecuador was due to a massive data breach where personal data of up to 20 million people was exposed online. This breach was a result of an enormous security failure where a server in Miami, managed by Novaestrat, an Ecuadorian data analysis company, did not have the necessary security protocols in place, allowing almost anyone to access the data [90384, 89520].
- The breach involved 18 GB of data containing a variety of personal information such as names, financial information, civil data, official government identification numbers, phone numbers, family records, marriage dates, educational histories, work records, and even some financial records including bank account balances and tax identification numbers [89520].
- The breach was discovered by security experts conducting a large-scale web mapping project, scanning IP ports and identifying vulnerabilities that indicated an open database on a server in Miami [89520].
- Once the data was exposed, it could not be undone, posing risks of identity theft, financial fraud, and espionage. The leaked information could potentially be in the hands of malicious parties, impacting both individuals and companies in Ecuador [89520].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- The software failure incident in Ecuador was attributed to Novaestrat, a small online data consulting firm in Esmeraldas, founded by former top telecommunication officials. The company was suspected of being responsible for the information breach, indicating a failure on the part of the company in securing the data properly [90384].
- The breach highlighted risks associated with rapid digitalization of personal data pursued by the Ecuadorean government, as well as the lack of a data protection law in the country, which could have prevented such incidents [90384].
- The breach also raised concerns about the access provincial firms like Novaestrat had to sensitive government databases, emphasizing the need for stricter regulations and security measures in handling personal data [90384]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The incident reported in the articles does not specifically mention any hardware-related issues contributing to the software failure. The focus is primarily on the data breach and exposure of personal information due to inadequate security measures on the server managed by Novaestrat [90384, 89520].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident in both articles is attributed to a significant security failure in the software systems managed by Novaestrat, an online data consulting firm in Ecuador. The incident involved the exposure of personal data of millions of Ecuadorians due to the lack of necessary security protocols on the server, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive information [90384, 89520]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious, non-malicious |
From the provided articles, the software failure incident related to the massive data breach in Ecuador can be categorized as both malicious and non-malicious:
(a) Malicious:
- The incident involved a massive data breach where personal data of millions of Ecuadorians was exposed due to a lack of security protocols on a server managed by Novaestrat, a data consulting firm [89520].
- The breach included sensitive information such as names, social security numbers, contact information, family details, employment information, and bank details [90384].
- The exposed data was found on an unsecured server in Miami and was accessed by unauthorized parties, potentially exposing individuals to identity theft and financial fraud [89520].
- The breach was considered particularly severe as it revealed a significant amount of sensitive personal information, making individuals vulnerable to various forms of exploitation [89520].
(b) Non-malicious:
- The incident was initially detected by security experts from vpnMentor during a web mapping project, where they scanned IP ports and identified vulnerabilities in the system that led to the discovery of the exposed data [89520].
- Upon discovering the breach, vpnMentor informed the owner of the server about the vulnerability, indicating a proactive approach to addressing the security issue [89520].
- The breach was closed on September 11, indicating that steps were taken to mitigate the exposure of the data once it was identified [90384].
In summary, the software failure incident in Ecuador involved a malicious data breach where personal information was exposed due to security vulnerabilities, but there were also non-malicious aspects such as the proactive detection of the breach and subsequent actions taken to address the issue. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was due to poor_decisions. The incident involved a massive data breach in Ecuador where the personal data of up to 20 million people was exposed online. The breach was attributed to a small online data consulting firm, Novaestrat, which was suspected of being responsible for the information breach [90384]. The breach occurred due to a lack of security measures and protocols in place to protect the sensitive data, indicating poor decisions made by the company in handling the data [89520]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence:
- The massive data breach in Ecuador, exposing the personal data of millions of individuals, was attributed to an enormous security failure [90384].
- The breach occurred due to a server managed by Novaestrat, an Ecuadorian data analysis company, lacking the necessary security protocols, allowing almost anyone to access the data [89520].
- The breach involved a significant amount of sensitive personal information, including names, financial information, civil data, government identification numbers, phone numbers, family records, marriage dates, educational histories, work records, and even financial details like bank account balances [89520].
- The breach was considered a severe information security failure due to the type and amount of personal information exposed, potentially leading to identity theft, financial fraud, and other malicious activities [89520].
(b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally:
- The articles do not specifically mention the software failure incident as being accidental. The focus is more on the security failure and the lack of necessary security measures that led to the data breach. Therefore, it is not explicitly stated that the incident was accidental. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the articles was temporary. The incident involved a massive data breach in Ecuador where personal data of millions of individuals was exposed due to a security failure on a server managed by Novaestrat, an Ecuadorian data consulting firm [Article 90384, Article 89520]. The breach was discovered by security experts from vpnMentor who detected the vulnerability in early September, leading to the exposure of sensitive information such as names, financial data, civil data, family records, educational histories, work records, and more [Article 89520]. The incident was not permanent as the access to the server was restricted by Ecuador's emergency IT security team after the breach was identified [Article 89520]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in Ecuador, where personal data of up to 20 million people was exposed online, can be categorized as a crash. The incident involved a massive security failure that led to the exposure of sensitive personal information, including names, social security numbers, contact information, family details, employment information, and bank details. The breach was discovered on an unsecured server in Miami and was closed on September 11 [Article 90384].
(b) omission: The software failure incident in Ecuador can also be categorized as an omission. The incident involved a failure of the system to protect the personal data of individuals, as the server used by a data analysis company did not have the necessary security protocols in place. This omission allowed almost anyone to access the personal information of millions of Ecuadorians [Article 89520].
(c) timing: There is no specific information in the articles to categorize the software failure incident as a timing issue.
(d) value: The software failure incident in Ecuador does not align with a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident in Ecuador does not align with a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in Ecuador can be described as a severe security breach that resulted in the exposure of extensive personal data due to a lack of proper security measures, potentially leading to risks of identity theft, fraud, and other malicious activities [Article 90384, Article 89520]. |