| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article reports that KeyWe Smart Lock, marketed as the "Smartest Lock Ever," had a vulnerability that allowed hackers to intercept network traffic between the mobile app and the smart lock, potentially giving them access to people's homes [93185]. KeyWe stated that they had fixed the issue through security patches, even though their firmware doesn't allow for over-the-air updates. This indicates that the software failure incident occurred within the same organization, KeyWe, with its product, the smart lock.
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
The article does not provide information about the software failure incident happening again at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. Security researchers found a vulnerability in the KeyWe Smart Lock's design that allowed potential hackers to intercept network traffic between the mobile app and the smart lock, essentially stealing the keys to someone's home [93185]. The flaw was attributed to the lock's design, which made it easy for attackers to eavesdrop on messages exchanged by the lock and app, leaving it open to a relatively simple attack [93185].
(b) The software failure incident is also related to the operation phase. Despite KeyWe stating that they had fixed the issue through security patches, F-Secure's researchers found that the lock's firmware doesn't allow for over-the-air updates. This means that the lock's owners will continue to live with the risk of a hacker being able to open their doors until they replace the lock [93185]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident with the KeyWe Smart Lock was primarily due to vulnerabilities within the system itself. Security researchers from F-Secure discovered flaws in the lock's design that allowed potential hackers to intercept network traffic between the mobile app and the smart lock, enabling them to steal the keys to someone's home [93185]. The key generation algorithm within the lock was found to be flawed, allowing hackers to retrieve codes for unlocking the door despite the encryption on the app. This vulnerability originated from within the system and could not be mitigated, posing a direct risk to users' security [93185]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
The vulnerability in the KeyWe Smart Lock that allowed hackers to intercept network traffic between the mobile app and the smart lock, essentially stealing the keys to someone's home, was a result of flaws in the lock's design. The security researchers found that the lock's design made it easy for attackers to bypass mechanisms and eavesdrop on messages exchanged by the lock and app, leaving it open to a relatively simple attack [93185].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
The failure to address the vulnerability in the KeyWe Smart Lock was due to the lock's firmware not allowing for over-the-air updates. Despite the security patches released by KeyWe to fix the issue, the firmware limitation meant that the vulnerability could not be fully mitigated, and the lock's owners would continue to live with the risk of potential hackers being able to open their doors until they replaced the lock [93185]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is primarily related to hardware vulnerabilities in the KeyWe Smart Lock. Security researchers from F-Secure discovered a vulnerability in the smart lock that allowed potential hackers to intercept network traffic between the mobile app and the lock, essentially stealing the keys to someone's home [93185].
(b) The software failure incident is also related to software vulnerabilities in the KeyWe Smart Lock. The security flaw was due to the lock's key generation algorithm, which allowed potential hackers to retrieve codes for unlocking the door despite the encryption on the app. This issue was specifically with the key generation, not the encryption itself [93185]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is malicious. Security researchers from F-Secure discovered a vulnerability in the KeyWe Smart Lock that could be exploited by potential hackers to intercept network traffic between the mobile app and the smart lock, allowing them to steal the keys to someone's home [93185]. The vulnerability was described as leaving the lock open to a relatively simple attack, making it easy for attackers to access homes protected by the lock [93185]. The security flaw allowed hackers to intercept the key generator itself and retrieve codes for unlocking the door, despite the encryption on the app [93185]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the KeyWe Smart Lock vulnerability can be attributed to poor decisions made in the design and implementation of the lock's security features. The vulnerability allowed potential hackers to intercept network traffic between the mobile app and the smart lock, enabling them to steal the keys to someone's home easily [93185]. The security researchers found that the lock's design made it relatively easy for attackers to bypass security mechanisms and eavesdrop on messages exchanged by the lock and app, leaving it open to a simple attack [93185]. Additionally, the firmware of the lock did not allow for over-the-air updates, meaning that the vulnerability could not be easily patched, leaving owners at risk until they replaced the lock [93185].
(b) On the other hand, accidental decisions or mistakes were also evident in this software failure incident. KeyWe, the company behind the smart lock, acknowledged the issue and stated that they had fixed it through security patches [93185]. However, F-Secure's researchers found that the firmware of the lock did not support over-the-air updates, indicating a potential oversight or mistake in the design and implementation of the lock's update mechanism [93185]. This accidental decision or oversight meant that the vulnerability could not be easily mitigated, and owners would continue to face the risk of potential hackers being able to open their doors until they replaced the lock [93185]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. Security researchers from F-Secure discovered a vulnerability in the KeyWe Smart Lock that allowed potential hackers to intercept network traffic between the mobile app and the smart lock, essentially stealing the keys to someone's home [93185]. The vulnerability was due to the lock's design flaws, making it easy for attackers to eavesdrop on messages exchanged by the lock and app, leaving it open to a relatively simple attack. Despite KeyWe stating that they had fixed the issue through security patches, F-Secure researchers found that the lock's firmware doesn't allow for over-the-air updates, indicating a lack of proper development practices in ensuring security updates can be easily implemented [93185].
(b) The software failure incident can also be considered accidental. While the vulnerability in the smart lock was discovered by security researchers intentionally looking for flaws, the ease with which potential hackers could intercept the key commands for the smart lock and unlock doors suggests that the vulnerability was not intentionally introduced but rather accidentally overlooked during the development process [93185]. The security flaw in the key generation algorithm allowed hackers to retrieve codes for unlocking the door despite the encryption on the app, indicating an accidental oversight in the lock's security design. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to the KeyWe Smart Lock vulnerability can be considered as a temporary failure. The vulnerability allowed potential hackers to intercept network traffic between the mobile app and the smart lock, enabling them to steal the keys to someone's home [93185]. KeyWe stated that they had fixed the issue through security patches, indicating that the vulnerability was addressed [93185]. However, it was mentioned that the firmware for the smart lock doesn't allow for over-the-air updates, meaning that existing owners of the lock will continue to live with the risk of a hacker being able to open their doors until they replace the lock [93185]. Newly purchased versions of the lock were reported to have fixed the vulnerability [93185]. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The vulnerability in the KeyWe Smart Lock allowed potential hackers to intercept network traffic and steal keys to someone's home, indicating that the system was still functioning but compromised [93185].
(b) omission: The software failure incident does not involve an omission where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The vulnerability in the smart lock allowed attackers to intercept key commands and unlock doors, indicating that the system was still performing its functions but in an unauthorized manner [93185].
(c) timing: The software failure incident does not involve a timing issue where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The vulnerability in the smart lock allowed attackers to intercept communications and generate key commands to unlock doors, indicating that the system was functioning in real-time but with unauthorized access [93185].
(d) value: The software failure incident does involve a value issue where the system performs its intended functions incorrectly. The vulnerability in the KeyWe Smart Lock allowed potential hackers to retrieve codes for unlocking the door, despite the encryption on the app, indicating that the system was providing incorrect access to unauthorized users [93185].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not involve a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The vulnerability in the smart lock allowed for consistent interception of key commands and unauthorized access, indicating a systematic flaw rather than erratic behavior [93185].
(f) other: The software failure incident can be categorized as a security vulnerability leading to unauthorized access rather than a specific failure behavior like crash, omission, timing, or byzantine behavior. The flaw in the smart lock's design allowed for a relatively simple attack that compromised the security of the system, leading to potential burglars being able to access homes protected by the lock [93185]. |