| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Snapchat's security vulnerabilities, as reported by Gibson Security, highlights a significant issue within the organization itself. The security advisory published by Australian researchers revealed that Snapchat's API had various security holes that could be exploited to harvest user information, including names, aliases, and phone numbers [20814]. This incident indicates a failure on Snapchat's part to adequately secure user data, potentially leading to privacy breaches and exploitation by malicious entities.
(b) The software failure incident involving Snapchat's security vulnerabilities is not explicitly mentioned to have occurred at other organizations or with their products and services in the provided article [20814]. Therefore, there is no information available regarding similar incidents happening at multiple organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be attributed to the security holes discovered by Gibson Security when they reverse-engineered the Snapchat app. They found unsecure encryption practices, such as using only two encryption keys across all users, and identified vulnerabilities in the Snapchat Android and iOS API that allowed for the harvesting of user information like names, aliases, and phone numbers [20814].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the exploitation of the Snapchat API by malicious entities to exhaustively search the Snapchat database for users using automated programs. This operation-based failure allowed for the linking of phone numbers to Snapchat accounts, potentially leading to real-life harassment and privacy breaches. Additionally, the possibility of a company exploiting this vulnerability on a massive scale to sell user data to third parties highlights the operational risks associated with the Snapchat platform [20814]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily due to contributing factors that originate from within the system. The security advisory published by Australian researchers highlighted various security holes within the Snapchat Android and iOS API, including unsecure encryption practices, a "Find Friends Exploit" that allowed malicious entities to harvest user information, and concerns about potential exploitation by internet trolls, stalkers, or companies. The researchers also pointed out vulnerabilities that could lead to unauthorized access to Snapchat servers and the ability to view, modify, or replace sent snaps [20814].
(b) outside_system: There is no explicit mention in the articles of the software failure incident being caused by contributing factors originating from outside the system. |
| 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 this case was primarily due to security vulnerabilities in the Snapchat Android and iOS API, as identified by Australian researchers from Gibson Security. They discovered security holes in the API, including unsecure encryption practices and the ability for a malicious entity to exploit the API to harvest Snapchat names, aliases, and phone numbers without human participation [20814].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
Human actions also played a role in this software failure incident. The researchers from Gibson Security attempted to contact Snapchat to report the security issues but found it challenging to reach the company. They even tried to apply for a software developer position at Snapchat to help improve security but did not receive a response. This lack of communication and potential negligence on the part of Snapchat could be considered a contributing human factor to the incident [20814]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article does not mention any specific hardware-related failure contributing factors that originated in hardware [20814].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident in this case is primarily due to contributing factors that originate in software, specifically vulnerabilities in the Snapchat Android and iOS API discovered by Gibson Security researchers [20814]. The security holes in the API allowed for the discovery and harvesting of Snapchat names, aliases, and phone numbers, indicating a failure in the software's security implementation. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is malicious in nature. Australian researchers from Gibson Security discovered security vulnerabilities in the Snapchat Android and iOS API that could allow malicious entities to harvest Snapchat names, aliases, and phone numbers even from private accounts. They highlighted the "Find Friends Exploit," which could be used to exhaustively search the Snapchat database for users using automated programs. The researchers expressed concerns about potential harassment, unmasking of anonymity, and privacy breaches that could occur if this exploit was used by internet trolls, stalkers, or companies for illegal purposes [20814]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident:
The software failure incident related to Snapchat's security vulnerabilities, as reported by Australian researchers from Gibson Security, can be attributed to poor decisions made by Snapchat in terms of security practices. The researchers discovered security holes in the Snapchat Android and iOS API, including unsecure encryption practices and vulnerabilities that allowed for the harvesting of user information such as names, aliases, and phone numbers. These poor decisions by Snapchat in implementing security measures led to the exploitation of the API, potentially exposing user data to malicious entities [20814].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident:
Additionally, the incident can also be linked to accidental decisions or unintended consequences. The researchers highlighted the ease with which a malicious entity could exploit the Snapchat API to connect phone numbers to Snapchat accounts, potentially leading to real-life harassment and privacy breaches. The researchers expressed concerns about the possibility of a company utilizing this exploit on a massive scale to sell user data illegally. This unintended consequence of the security vulnerabilities in Snapchat's API could result in significant privacy violations and data breaches [20814]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the Snapchat security advisory published by Australian researchers. The researchers at Gibson Security discovered multiple security holes in the Snapchat Android and iOS API, including unsecure encryption practices and vulnerabilities on both platforms [20814]. Additionally, the researchers highlighted concerns about the potential exploitation of these vulnerabilities by malicious entities to harvest Snapchat user data, leading to privacy breaches and the possibility of large-scale data theft [20814].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. |
| Duration |
permanent |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles seems to be more of a permanent nature. The security advisory published by Australian researchers highlighted significant security holes in the Snapchat Android and iOS API that allowed for the discovery and harvesting of Snapchat names, aliases, and phone numbers, even for private accounts. The exploit called the "Find Friends Exploit" allowed malicious entities to exhaustively search the Snapchat database for users using phone numbers, potentially unmasking the anonymity and privacy provided by Snapchat. The researchers also expressed concerns about the possibility of a company exploiting this vulnerability on a massive scale to sell user data illegally [20814]. These security vulnerabilities and privacy concerns indicate a more permanent failure due to fundamental flaws in the software's design and implementation. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident related to Snapchat's security issues does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions.
(b) omission: The security holes discovered in Snapchat's API allowed for the omission of intended functions, such as exposing user information like usernames, display names, and account privacy settings [20814].
(c) timing: The incident does not involve timing-related failures where the system performs its intended functions but at the wrong time.
(d) value: The security issues in Snapchat's API led to a failure in the system performing its intended functions incorrectly by allowing unauthorized access to user data [20814].
(e) byzantine: The behavior of the software failure incident does not exhibit byzantine failures with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in this software failure incident is a security vulnerability that could potentially lead to unauthorized access, data harvesting, and privacy breaches [20814]. |