| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to bugs in Apple's iOS parental controls is an example of a software failure incident happening again within the same organization. The article mentions that the parental control bugs are one of many flaws that have punctuated Apple's latest iOS updates. Since the operating system was unveiled in September, Apple has already been forced to update it four separate times due to various bugs and hiccups with the initial roll out [93555]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the bugs found in Apple's iOS parental controls. The article [93555] mentions that the new parental control feature, Communications Limits, was designed to prevent unknown numbers from contacting a device with parental controls enabled. However, a bug was discovered where if an unknown number texted the device first, users could add that number to the address book and bypass the parental lock. This flaw in the design of the parental control feature allowed for a workaround that undermined the intended security measures.
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is highlighted in the article [93555] where it is mentioned that one of the bugs in the parental controls could be skirted by using Siri on an Apple Watch. This means that the failure was due to factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system, as children could ask Siri to send a text message to a number not on the contact list, thereby bypassing the intended restrictions. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident related to the bugs in Apple's iOS parental controls can be categorized as within_system. The bugs in the parental controls, such as the ability to add unknown numbers to the address book and bypass the safeguards using Siri on an Apple Watch, are internal issues within the iOS system itself [93555]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to non-human actions, specifically bugs in Apple's iOS that allowed for bypassing parental controls. The bugs in the Communications Limits feature and Siri on Apple Watch were identified as the main contributing factors to the failure [93555]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article does not mention any hardware-related contributing factors that led to the software failure incident. Therefore, it is unknown if hardware played a role in this specific incident.
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident in this case is attributed to bugs in Apple's iOS, specifically in the new parental control feature called Communications Limits rolled out via iOS 13.1.3. These bugs allowed users to bypass the intended restrictions and communicate with unknown numbers, thus undermining the parental controls [93555]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 93555 is non-malicious. The bugs in Apple's iOS related to the parental controls were not introduced with the intent to harm the system. The bugs allowed for circumvention of the parental controls through unintended interactions and flaws in the system design. Apple acknowledged the issues and mentioned that the problem only occurs on devices set up with a non-standard configuration, indicating that the bugs were not intentionally introduced to cause harm [93555]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident:
The software failure incident related to the bugs in Apple's iOS parental controls can be attributed to poor decisions made during the development and rollout of the new features. The restrictions were designed to prevent kids from talking to strangers by implementing Communications Limits through iOS 13.1.3. However, serious flaws were discovered in these parental controls, allowing unknown numbers to be added to the address book and bypass the parental lock if the phone's contact list wasn't stored in iCloud by default. This indicates that the design and implementation of the parental controls were flawed, leading to the unintended consequence of compromising the intended security measures [93555]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the bugs found in Apple's iOS parental controls. The restrictions designed to prevent kids from talking to strangers were not functioning as intended due to serious flaws in the new parental features rolled out in iOS 13.1.3. These flaws allowed unknown numbers to be added to the address book and bypass the parental lock, undermining the security measures put in place [93555].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is seen in the unintended consequences of the bugs discovered in Apple's iOS parental controls. The bugs, such as the ability to add unknown numbers to the address book and bypass parental controls using Siri on an Apple Watch, were not intentional features but rather unexpected issues that arose during the implementation of the new parental control features [93555]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 93555 regarding bugs in Apple's iOS parental controls can be categorized as a temporary failure. The bugs identified in the parental controls, such as the ability for unknown numbers to bypass the restrictions and the Siri workaround, are specific circumstances that introduced contributing factors leading to the failure. Apple acknowledged these issues and mentioned that the problem only occurs on devices with a non-standard configuration, indicating that the failure is not permanent and can be addressed with a fix in an upcoming software update. Additionally, users can implement a workaround by syncing their contacts to iCloud to prevent the flaw from interfering with the parental controls [93555]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The article reports a bug in Apple's iOS related to parental controls that allows users to subvert the parental lock by adding unknown numbers to the address book, effectively bypassing the intended restriction. This behavior can be considered a form of crash as the system fails to prevent unauthorized communication, losing its intended state of restricting contacts [93555].
(b) omission: The software failure incident described in the article can also be categorized as an omission. The parental control feature in iOS 13.1.3 omits to perform its intended function of preventing unknown numbers from contacting a device with parental controls enabled, leading to a gap in the system's functionality [93555].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the article.
(d) value: The software failure incident can be linked to a value-related failure as the system performs its intended function of adding numbers to the address book but does so incorrectly by allowing unauthorized numbers to be added, thereby compromising the parental control feature [93555].
(e) byzantine: The article does not provide information indicating a byzantine behavior in the software failure incident.
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can also be categorized as "other" as it involves a combination of flaws in the parental control feature, including the ability to bypass restrictions by adding unknown numbers to the address book and using Siri on an Apple Watch to send messages to unauthorized contacts [93555]. |