| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to vulnerabilities in 5G networks has happened again within the same organization or with its products and services. Researchers from Purdue University and the University of Iowa identified 11 new design issues in 5G protocols that could expose user location, downgrade service to old mobile data networks, run up wireless bills, or track calls, texts, or web browsing [92075].
(b) The software failure incident related to vulnerabilities in 5G networks has also happened at multiple organizations. The researchers found five additional 5G vulnerabilities that carried over from 3G and 4G networks, indicating that similar issues may exist across different organizations implementing 5G technology [92075]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the discovery of 11 new design issues in 5G protocols that could expose user location, downgrade service to old mobile data networks, run up wireless bills, or track calls, texts, or web browsing [92075].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is highlighted by the researchers finding flaws in the 5G standard governing initial device registration, deregistration, and paging, which could allow attackers to mount "replay" attacks to run up a target's mobile bill by repeatedly sending the same message or command [92075]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) The software failure incident discussed in the article is primarily within the system. The vulnerabilities and flaws identified in the 5G protocols, including issues with location tracking, downgrading service, running up wireless bills, and tracking user activities, are all internal to the 5G system itself [92075]. Researchers from Purdue University and the University of Iowa used a custom tool called 5GReasoner to identify these vulnerabilities within the 5G standard.
(b) Additionally, the article mentions that the researchers submitted their findings to the standards body GSMA, which is working on fixes for the identified vulnerabilities. This external collaboration with GSMA indicates that efforts are being made to address the flaws originating from outside the system, such as through industry standards and regulatory bodies [92075]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the 5G network was primarily due to non-human actions, specifically vulnerabilities in the 5G protocols and standards. Researchers from Purdue University and the University of Iowa identified 11 new design issues in 5G protocols that could expose user location, downgrade service, increase wireless bills, and track user activities. They also found five additional vulnerabilities carried over from 3G and 4G networks [92075].
(b) However, human actions are also involved in addressing the identified vulnerabilities. The researchers submitted their findings to the standards body GSMA, which is working on fixes to address the vulnerabilities in the 5G standard. GSMA acknowledged the researchers' work and mentioned that the attacks identified were judged as nil or low-impact in practice. They appreciated the researchers' efforts to identify ambiguities in the standard that may require clarifications in the future [92075]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware: The article discusses vulnerabilities and flaws in the 5G network protocols that could lead to various issues such as exposing user location, downgrading service to old mobile data networks, running up wireless bills, and tracking user activities. These vulnerabilities are related to the design and implementation of the 5G network hardware components [92075].
(b) The software failure incident related to software: The vulnerabilities and flaws identified in the 5G network protocols, including issues with device registration, deregistration, and paging, as well as vague wording in the 5G standard that could lead to weak implementations by carriers, are all related to software aspects of the 5G network. The researchers used a custom tool called 5GReasoner to identify these software-related vulnerabilities [92075]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious, non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident discussed in the article is related to malicious factors introduced by attackers. Researchers from Purdue University and the University of Iowa identified 11 new design issues in 5G protocols that could expose user location, downgrade service, run up wireless bills, and track user activities. They also found five additional vulnerabilities that carried over from previous generations (3G and 4G) [92075]. Attackers could potentially know the location of a user, force devices to send unencrypted identifiers, override security measures like TMSI resets, and mount replay attacks to run up mobile bills [92075].
(b) The software failure incident is also related to non-malicious factors such as flaws in the 5G standard itself. The researchers found issues with the 5G standard governing device registration, deregistration, and paging, which could lead to replay attacks by attackers. Additionally, vague wording in the 5G standard could cause carriers to implement security measures weakly, leading to vulnerabilities in the system [92075]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
[a92075] The software failure incident related to the 5G vulnerabilities can be attributed to both poor decisions and accidental decisions.
1. Poor Decisions:
The incident highlights poor decisions in the design and implementation of the 5G protocols. Researchers from Purdue University and the University of Iowa identified 11 new design issues in 5G protocols that could expose user location, downgrade service to old mobile data networks, run up wireless bills, or track user activities. These vulnerabilities were found due to the adoption of security features from previous generations without rigorous evaluation of new features in 5G, leading to inherited vulnerabilities and flaws in the system.
2. Accidental Decisions:
The incident also points to accidental decisions or unintended consequences in the 5G standard. The researchers found flaws in the 5G standard governing device registration, deregistration, and paging, which could lead to replay attacks and run up a target's mobile bill. The vague wording in the 5G standard could cause carriers to implement security measures weakly, inadvertently exposing users to potential attacks and exploitation.
Overall, the software failure incident involving 5G vulnerabilities showcases a combination of poor decisions in design and accidental decisions in implementation that have led to significant security flaws in the system. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the discovery of 11 new design issues in 5G protocols that could expose user location, downgrade service, increase wireless bills, and track user activities [92075]. The researchers from Purdue University and the University of Iowa identified these vulnerabilities using a custom tool called 5GReasoner. The vulnerabilities were found in the 5G standard, indicating potential oversights or lack of rigorous security evaluation in the development process.
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is highlighted in the researchers' findings that some flaws in the 5G standard could lead to replay attacks, allowing attackers to repeatedly send the same message or command to run up a target's mobile bill [92075]. This issue stems from vague wording in the 5G standard, which could result in weak implementation by carriers, leading to unintended consequences. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to 5G vulnerabilities mentioned in Article 92075 can be categorized as a temporary failure. The vulnerabilities identified in the 5G protocols and standards are specific circumstances that introduced contributing factors leading to potential security risks and flaws in the system. These vulnerabilities are not inherent to the system but rather arise from specific design issues and implementation flaws that can be addressed and fixed [92075]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, byzantine, other |
(a) crash: The article discusses vulnerabilities in the 5G network protocols that could lead to downgrading a user's service to old mobile data networks, running up wireless bills, or even tracking user activities like calls, texts, or web browsing. These vulnerabilities could potentially cause the system to crash or fail to perform its intended functions [92075].
(b) omission: The vulnerabilities identified in the 5G protocols could also result in the system omitting to perform its intended functions, such as protecting phone identifiers to prevent tracking or targeted attacks. Downgrade attacks could force devices to send sensitive information unencrypted, omitting the intended protection mechanisms [92075].
(c) timing: The article does not specifically mention any failures related to timing issues in the software incident.
(d) value: The vulnerabilities in the 5G protocols could lead to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. For example, attackers could exploit flaws to override security measures like TMSI resets or correlate device identifiers, leading to incorrect behavior in protecting user data and privacy [92075].
(e) byzantine: The vulnerabilities identified in the 5G protocols could potentially lead to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. For instance, attackers could use software-defined radios to mount attacks that manipulate the network's behavior, leading to inconsistent responses and interactions that compromise user security [92075].
(f) other: The other behavior observed in the software failure incident is related to the system's vulnerability to replay attacks. Attackers could exploit vague wording in the 5G standard to repeatedly send the same message or command, potentially causing the system to behave in unexpected ways and run up a target's mobile bill [92075]. |