| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to an attempted hack into the Voatz app during the 2018 midterm elections in West Virginia is a unique incident that has not been reported to have happened again within the same organization or with its products and services. The incident involving the University of Michigan students attempting to hack the app as part of a security course appears to be an isolated event [90757].
(b) The software failure incident involving the attempted hack into the Voatz app during the 2018 midterm elections in West Virginia does not have any reported instances of similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. The focus of the incident was on the specific attempt by University of Michigan students to test the security of the app, rather than a widespread issue affecting multiple organizations [90757]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the attempted hack into the Voatz app used during the 2018 midterm elections. The incident was a result of a person or people trying to hack the app as part of a University of Michigan election security course, which highlighted the contentious issue in cybersecurity research of finding vulnerabilities in software by thinking like a hacker. This incident was severe enough to be reported to the FBI, indicating a failure in the design aspect of the app's security measures [90757].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be observed in the misuse of the Voatz app during the 2018 election cycle. The attempted intrusion into the West Virginia military mobile voting system was perceived as an outside party trying to gain unauthorized access. This misuse led to the involvement of the FBI and raised concerns about the security and transparency of the app's operations, indicating a failure in the operational aspect of the system [90757]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the attempted hack into the Voatz app during the 2018 midterm elections was primarily due to factors originating from within the system. The incident involved a student or students from the University of Michigan trying to hack the app as part of an election security course, which led to the FBI investigation [90757]. Additionally, Voatz co-founder and CEO Nimit Sawhney mentioned that the attempted hack was severe enough to be reported to the authorities, indicating an internal breach within the system [90757].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident also had contributing factors originating from outside the system. The suspicious activity against the Voatz app was traced back to IP addresses associated with the University of Michigan, suggesting an external source for the attempted intrusion [90757]. Furthermore, the incident highlighted the challenges in cybersecurity research where researchers need to think like hackers to find vulnerabilities, which can sometimes lead to legal implications due to the strict laws like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act [90757]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions:
- The attempted hack into the Voatz app during the 2018 midterm elections was potentially a student's attempt to research security vulnerabilities rather than an attempt to alter any votes [90757].
- The FBI investigation into the hack was linked to a University of Michigan election security course where students were examining mobile voting technology [90757].
(b) The software failure incident related to human actions:
- The FBI inquiry into the attempted hack stemmed from a particular incident in the Michigan course where students were instructed not to meddle in existing election infrastructure but potentially did so [90757].
- Voatz co-founder and CEO Nimit Sawhney mentioned that the attempted hack was severe enough to be reported to the FBI, indicating human involvement in the intrusion [90757]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The attempted hack into the Voatz app during the 2018 midterm elections was traced back to IP addresses associated with the University of Michigan, indicating a hardware-related issue as the suspicious activity originated from specific hardware devices [90757].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The attempted intrusion into the Voatz app was a result of a student or students trying to hack the app as part of a University of Michigan election security course, indicating a software-related issue where vulnerabilities in the software were being explored [90757]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles was non-malicious. It was an attempted hack into a mobile voting app used during the 2018 midterm elections, which may have been a student's attempt to research security vulnerabilities rather than an attempt to alter any votes [90757]. The FBI investigation revealed that the intrusion into the Voatz app was part of a University of Michigan election security course, where students were examining current and proposed mobile voting technology but were instructed not to meddle in existing election infrastructure. The incident was reported to the authorities, and no criminal charges were filed. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor decisions can be seen in the incident where a student or students from the University of Michigan attempted to hack into the Voatz app as part of an election security course. The students were instructed not to meddle in existing election infrastructure but still attempted to hack the app, leading to an FBI investigation [90757]. This incident highlights the potential consequences of poor decisions made by individuals involved in the security research.
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental decisions can be seen in the statement by Voatz co-founder and CEO Nimit Sawhney, who mentioned that the attempted hack was the only incident from the 2018 election that felt severe enough to turn over to the FBI. This suggests that the intrusion was not intentional but rather accidental, possibly due to the students' actions during the course [90757]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not evident in the provided article.
(b) The software failure incident was accidental, as it was reported that the attempted hack into the Voatz app during the 2018 midterm elections was actually a student's attempt to research security vulnerabilities rather than an attempt to alter any votes. The FBI investigation revealed that the suspicious activity against the Voatz app came from IP addresses associated with the University of Michigan, where students were examining current and proposed mobile voting technology but were instructed not to meddle in existing election infrastructure. This accidental intrusion led to the FBI inquiry and raised concerns about the strict hacking laws in the US [90757]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the Voatz app related to the attempted hack during the 2018 midterm elections can be considered as a temporary failure. The incident was a result of a student or students trying to hack the app as part of a University of Michigan election security course, which was not a permanent failure but rather a specific event caused by certain circumstances [90757].
(b) The incident was not a permanent failure as it was a specific event related to the attempted hack and intrusion into the Voatz app, rather than a continuous or ongoing issue with the software [90757]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, other |
(a) crash: The incident involving the attempted hack into the Voatz app during the 2018 midterm elections did not result in any alteration of votes, but it was severe enough to be reported to the FBI, indicating a potential system crash [90757].
(b) omission: The system failure incident did not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance [90757].
(c) timing: The incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions too late or too early [90757].
(d) value: The incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly [90757].
(e) byzantine: The behavior of the software failure incident did not exhibit inconsistent responses or interactions [90757].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident involved an attempted intrusion into the Voatz app, which was caught and reported to the authorities, highlighting the potential vulnerability of the system to external attacks [90757]. |