| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to children's smartwatches with serious vulnerabilities has happened before with other children's connected devices. In June 2018, Amazon pulled CloudPets from its store after vulnerabilities were found with its Bluetooth. Additionally, in September, a security vulnerability was disclosed on GPS trackers for children, affecting at least 600,000 users [93380]. These incidents highlight a pattern of security risks in children's connected devices within the same organization.
(b) The software failure incident related to children's smartwatches with serious vulnerabilities is not isolated to a single organization. The article mentions that these smartwatches are not the only children's connected devices with glaring security risks. It references incidents where vulnerabilities were found in other products like CloudPets and GPS trackers for children, indicating that multiple organizations offering children's connected devices have faced similar issues [93380]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be attributed to the serious vulnerabilities discovered in the children's smartwatches by security researchers [93380]. The vulnerabilities allowed potential hackers to take over the devices, track children, and have conversations with them. The flaws in the design of the smartwatches included a lack of proper filtering for approved phone numbers, acceptance of configuration commands through text messages, and the use of the same default password across all three watch models. These design flaws introduced by the system development and design process contributed to the security risks associated with the smartwatches.
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be linked to the misuse of the smartwatches by potential hackers who could exploit the vulnerabilities to change settings on the watch, track children, and make phone calls to them [93380]. The operation of the smartwatches, which were intended for parents to keep tabs on their kids, was compromised due to the security flaws that allowed unauthorized access and control over the devices. This misuse of the system by exploiting the vulnerabilities introduced during the design phase led to the operational failure of the smartwatches. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident related to the vulnerabilities in the children's smartwatches can be categorized as within_system. The vulnerabilities, such as the lack of proper filtering for approved phone numbers, acceptance of configuration commands through text messages, and having the same default password for all three watches, are all issues originating from within the system itself [93380]. These internal flaws within the software design and implementation allowed potential hackers to exploit the devices and track children, highlighting the critical importance of robust security measures in IoT devices. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is primarily due to non-human actions, specifically vulnerabilities in the smartwatches' software that allowed potential hackers to take over the devices and track children without human intervention. The security flaws, such as the lack of a working whitelist filter, acceptance of configuration commands through text messages, and the use of the same default password across all three smartwatches, were all introduced as inherent weaknesses in the software itself [93380].
(b) However, human actions also played a role in this software failure incident. For instance, the lack of proper communication from the manufacturers about the default password and the inability to contact the manufacturers to address the vulnerabilities were human-related factors that contributed to the overall failure [93380]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles is primarily due to hardware-related vulnerabilities in the children's smartwatches. Security researchers from Rapid7 discovered serious vulnerabilities in the GreaSmart, Jsbaby, and Smarturtle smartwatches, which allowed potential hackers to take over the devices, track children, and have conversations with them [93380].
(b) The software failure incident is also related to software vulnerabilities as the smartwatches accepted configuration commands through text messages, allowing potential hackers to change settings on the watch and potentially track children. Additionally, all three watches used the same software, spreading vulnerabilities across all of them [93380]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is malicious. Security researchers discovered serious vulnerabilities in children's smartwatches that could be exploited by potential hackers to take over the devices, track children, and have conversations with them [93380]. The vulnerabilities allowed unauthorized access to the watches, changing settings, gaining access to audio, and making phone calls to children. Additionally, the smartwatches had the same default password, making it easy for hackers to take control of the devices and track children [93380]. The lack of proper security measures and the potential harm that could be caused to children indicate that the software failure incident was malicious in nature. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was due to poor_decisions. The vulnerabilities in the children's smartwatches, such as the lack of proper whitelist filtering, accepting configuration commands through text messages, and having the same default password across all devices, were clear indicators of poor decision-making in the software development and security implementation process [93380]. Additionally, the inability to contact the manufacturers to address these vulnerabilities further highlights the consequences of poor decisions in ensuring the security of the devices. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles can be attributed to development incompetence. The vulnerabilities in the children's smartwatches, such as the lack of proper whitelist filtering, acceptance of configuration commands through text messages, and sharing the same default password across all devices, indicate a lack of professional competence in ensuring secure software development [93380]. The fact that the watches had the exact same default password "123456" and that there was no way to contact the manufacturers to address the vulnerabilities further highlights the development incompetence aspect of this software failure incident. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the articles can be categorized as a temporary failure. The vulnerabilities discovered by Rapid7 in the children's smartwatches, such as the ability for potential hackers to take over the devices, track children, and have conversations with them, were due to specific contributing factors introduced by certain circumstances, such as the lack of proper security measures and the presence of default passwords like "123456" ([93380]). These vulnerabilities were not inherent to the design of the watches but were instead a result of specific flaws in the software and security implementation. |
| 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. The vulnerabilities found in the children's smartwatches allowed potential hackers to take over the devices and track children, indicating that the system was still functioning but in an unauthorized and compromised manner [93380].
(b) omission: The software failure incident does involve omission, as the smartwatches omitted to perform their intended functions of only allowing contact from approved phone numbers through a whitelist. The filter meant to restrict contacts did not work at all, allowing unauthorized access to the devices [93380].
(c) timing: The software failure incident does not involve timing issues where the system performs its intended functions too late or too early. The vulnerabilities found in the smartwatches allowed unauthorized access and control over the devices, rather than issues related to timing [93380].
(d) value: The software failure incident does involve a failure related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The smartwatches had security vulnerabilities that allowed potential hackers to change settings on the watch, track children, access audio, and make phone calls to children, all of which were not the intended functions of the devices [93380].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not involve a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The vulnerabilities found in the smartwatches allowed unauthorized access and control over the devices, but the behavior was consistent in terms of the security flaws present across all three models [93380].
(f) other: The software failure incident involves a failure related to the system having a default password (123456) that users were unlikely to change, as they were not informed of its existence or how to change it. This oversight allowed potential hackers to easily take over the devices and track children, indicating a failure in the system's security design and user awareness [93380]. |