| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the security vulnerability allowing unauthorized access to the camera and microphone of Android devices has happened again within the same organization, specifically affecting Google and Samsung devices. Checkmarx researchers discovered the vulnerability in several Android devices, including Google's Pixel line and Samsung's Galaxy series [92136, 92097]. Both Google and Samsung were informed about the security issue by Checkmarx and confirmed the error. Google released a Play Store update in July 2019 to address the problem on affected Google devices, while Samsung also issued patches to address potentially affected device models [92136, 92097].
(b) The software failure incident has also affected multiple organizations beyond Google and Samsung. Checkmarx informed other phone manufacturers about the vulnerability, as they could also be vulnerable to the security flaw. The researchers mentioned that the flaw could affect "hundreds of millions" of users, indicating a widespread impact across various Android device manufacturers [92097]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles can be attributed to the design phase. Researchers from cybersecurity company Checkmarx disclosed vulnerabilities in several Android devices, including Google's Pixel line and Samsung's Galaxy series, which allowed attackers to take photos and videos on the devices without people knowing, or to eavesdrop or do location tracking [92136]. The vulnerability specifically affected Android devices because it was using app permissions, indicating a design flaw in the system that allowed for unauthorized access and misuse of device functionalities.
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. The vulnerability discovered by Checkmarx allowed attackers to operate the camera of the phone and take photos or record videos through an application without the user's permission [92097]. Attackers could also access stored videos or photos and operate the camera even when the application was closed, indicating a failure in the operation of the system that allowed for unauthorized access and control of device features. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily within the system. The vulnerability that allowed attackers to take photos and videos on Android devices without user knowledge was due to a security flaw in the Google Camera Application and the way voice assistants like Google Assistant and Samsung's Bixby interacted with the system [92136, 92097]. The issue was addressed through a Play Store update to the Google Camera Application in July 2019, indicating that the problem originated within the system and was fixed internally by Google and Samsung after being informed by Checkmarx.
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident does not seem to have contributing factors that originate from outside the system. The vulnerability exploited by potential hackers was related to how the system handled permissions and interactions with voice assistants, rather than external factors beyond the control of the system [92136, 92097]. The security researchers identified the flaw within the system and worked with Google and Samsung to address it, indicating that the failure was contained within the system's boundaries. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
- The software vulnerability that allowed attackers to take photos and videos on Android devices without user knowledge was due to a security flaw in the voice assistant services like Google Assistant and Samsung's Bixby [92136].
- The vulnerability exploited the fact that voice assistant services were considered trusted software and did not require specific permissions like other apps, allowing any app to send voice-related codes to exploit the security flaw [92136].
- The vulnerability could be exploited by an innocent-seeming weather app that would send voice requests to Google Assistant in the background to take photos or start recording videos without the user's awareness [92136].
- The malicious app could also take advantage of the Google Pixel's proximity sensor to start recording videos when the phone was face down or near the user's face, capturing audio in the background [92136].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- Checkmarx, the cybersecurity company, discovered the security vulnerability in Android devices and informed Google and Samsung about the issue in July, prompting both companies to release patches to address the problem [92136].
- Google and Samsung acknowledged the security issue and worked with Checkmarx to coordinate the disclosure and release updates to fix the vulnerability [92136].
- Samsung recommended that all users keep their devices updated with the latest software to ensure the highest level of protection against such vulnerabilities [92097]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The software failure incident reported in the articles is not attributed to hardware issues. Instead, it is related to vulnerabilities in Android devices that allowed attackers to exploit the software to take photos, videos, eavesdrop, and track locations without user consent [92136, 92097].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily due to vulnerabilities in the software of Android devices, specifically related to voice assistants like Google Assistant and Samsung's Bixby. These vulnerabilities allowed malicious apps to exploit the software to perform unauthorized actions such as taking photos, recording videos, and eavesdropping on users [92136, 92097]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is malicious in nature. Researchers from cybersecurity company Checkmarx disclosed vulnerabilities in Android devices, including Google's Pixel line and Samsung's Galaxy series, that would have allowed attackers to take photos and videos on the devices without people knowing, eavesdrop, do location tracking, and potentially spy on users [92136, 92097]. The vulnerability exploited by the malicious weather app developed by Checkmarx researchers allowed for unauthorized access to device functions and data, demonstrating a clear intent to harm the system and compromise user privacy and security. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was due to poor_decisions. The vulnerability that allowed attackers to take photos and videos on Android devices without user knowledge was a result of the way app permissions were handled by Google Assistant and Samsung's Bixby. The security flaw exploited the fact that voice assistant services like Google Assistant and Samsung's Bixby were considered trusted software and did not require explicit permissions for certain actions, creating a loophole for potential attacks [92136, 92097]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence:
- The software failure incident reported in the articles was due to a vulnerability discovered by researchers from cybersecurity company Checkmarx in several Android devices, including Google's Pixel line and Samsung's Galaxy series [92136, 92097].
- The vulnerability allowed attackers to take photos and videos on the devices without users knowing, eavesdrop, or do location tracking [92136, 92097].
- Checkmarx informed Google and Samsung about the security issue in July, and the two companies fixed the issue in a Play Store update the same month [92136].
- The vulnerability exploited Google Assistant and specifically affected Android devices due to app permissions [92136].
- The incident highlighted the potential risks associated with advanced features like voice commands, as they introduce new ways for potential hackers to exploit security flaws [92136].
- The researchers found that voice assistants like Google Assistant and Samsung's Bixby presented a vulnerability even without someone speaking, allowing any app to send a voice-related code to exploit the security flaw [92136].
- Checkmarx researchers developed a weather app as a demonstration to show how a seemingly innocent app could exploit the vulnerability to take photos, record videos, track locations, and eavesdrop without user consent [92136].
(b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally:
- The software failure incident reported in the articles was not attributed to accidental factors but rather to a security vulnerability discovered by researchers from Checkmarx [92136, 92097].
- The vulnerability was a result of a flaw in the design or implementation of the voice assistant features on Android devices, which allowed unauthorized access to the camera and microphone functionalities [92136, 92097].
- The incident was not described as accidental but as a security flaw that could potentially affect hundreds of millions of users of Samsung and Google devices [92097].
- Google and Samsung were informed about the issue by Checkmarx, and both companies took steps to address the vulnerability through software updates [92136, 92097]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the articles was temporary. The vulnerability in Android devices, specifically affecting Google's Pixel line and Samsung's Galaxy series, allowed attackers to take photos and videos, eavesdrop, and do location tracking without users' knowledge [92136, 92097]. Checkmarx informed Google and Samsung about the security issue, and both companies released patches to address the problem in July [92136, 92097]. This indicates that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by certain circumstances but not all, as it was mitigated by the release of patches. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. Instead, the vulnerability allowed attackers to exploit the system to take photos, videos, eavesdrop, and track locations without the user's knowledge [92136, 92097].
(b) omission: The software failure incident does involve omission, as the vulnerability allowed the system to omit the need for explicit permission for certain actions. For example, while most apps need permission to take photos or videos, voice assistant services like Google Assistant and Samsung's Bixby are considered trusted software, so they don't require explicit permission for such actions, creating a loophole for potential exploitation [92136].
(c) timing: The software failure incident does not involve timing issues where the system performs its intended functions too late or too early. The vulnerability allowed for immediate unauthorized actions without any delay related to timing [92136, 92097].
(d) value: The software failure incident does involve a failure related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The vulnerability allowed for unauthorized actions such as taking photos, videos, eavesdropping, and location tracking, which were not the intended functions of the system [92136, 92097].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not involve a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The vulnerability described in the articles allowed for consistent unauthorized actions to be taken without the user's knowledge [92136, 92097].
(f) other: The software failure incident involves a behavior where the system behaves in a way not described in the options (a) to (e). Specifically, the vulnerability exploited in the incident allowed for unauthorized actions to be taken by exploiting a loophole in the permissions system, enabling actions like taking photos, videos, eavesdropping, and location tracking without explicit user permission [92136]. |