| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to parking meters in New York City happened again at the same organization. The incident was caused by a software glitch that recalled the Y2K bug, affecting the credit card payment system on the meters. The vendor, Parkeon, failed to update the software, resulting in the mass malfunction [94202].
(b) The software failure incident also occurred in a small number of other cities where the same software developed by Parkeon was used. However, details about these incidents were not provided in the articles [94202]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in New York City with the parking meters was primarily due to a design issue. The meters' credit card payment software was configured to end on Jan. 1, causing a mass malfunction because the software was not updated by the vendor, Parkeon, which developed the payment system [94202]. The issue stemmed from a programming error in the software that set January 1, 2020, as the end date for card usage, leading to the rejection of credit cards and prepaid parking cards [94237]. This design flaw in the software caused inconvenience to drivers and necessitated reconfiguring the software meter by meter to resolve the problem [94202].
(b) Additionally, the operation of the system was affected by the software failure incident. Drivers were left with the option to pay using coins or the ParkNYC mobile app due to the malfunctioning credit card payment system [94202, 94237]. The Department of Transportation mentioned that repairs were ongoing to fix the issue, indicating an operational impact on the system [94237]. Furthermore, concerns were raised about ticketing drivers using the faulty meters, highlighting the operational implications of the software failure incident [94237]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) The software failure incident in New York City related to the parking meters was primarily within the system. The issue was caused by a software glitch in the meters' credit card payment software, which was configured to end on Jan. 1, resulting in the mass malfunction [Article 94202]. The vendor that developed the payment system failed to update the software, leading to the outage [Article 94202]. The company provided a software fix to address the issue [Article 94202]. City workers were reconfiguring the software meter by meter to resolve the problem [Article 94202].
(b) Additionally, external factors such as an anti-fraud security setting that disabled the card payment system were mentioned as contributing to the outage [Article 94202]. The glitch was not limited to New York City, as it occurred in a small number of other cities as well [Article 94202]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in New York City's parking meters was primarily due to non-human actions. The incident was caused by a software glitch that occurred because the credit card payment software was configured to end on Jan. 1, resulting in the mass malfunction [94202]. The issue was further exacerbated by an anti-fraud security setting that disabled the card payment system, leading to the outage [94202].
(b) Human actions also played a role in the software failure incident. The vendor that developed the payment system, Parkeon, failed to update the software, which contributed to the malfunction [94202]. Additionally, city workers were required to reconfigure the software meter by meter, indicating human intervention to address the issue [94202]. Some individuals expressed frustration with the situation, highlighting the human impact of the software failure [94237]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in New York City with parking meters was primarily due to a software glitch in the meters' credit card payment software. The software was configured to end on Jan. 1, causing the mass malfunction [94202, 94237].
(b) The software failure incident was also attributed to a software issue, specifically a glitch in the meters' software that caused them to reject credit cards and prepaid parking cards. The vendor that developed the payment system failed to update the software, leading to the outage [94202, 94237]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in New York City related to the parking meters was non-malicious. The issue was caused by a software glitch that occurred due to the meters' credit card payment software being configured to end on Jan. 1, resulting in the mass malfunction. This was not an intentional act to harm the system but rather a programming oversight by the vendor, Parkeon, who failed to update the software [94202, 94237]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident in New York City related to the parking meters rejecting credit cards and prepaid parking cards was primarily due to poor decisions. The incident was caused by a software glitch where the credit card payment software was configured to end on Jan. 1, resulting in the mass malfunction. This was attributed to the vendor, Parkeon, failing to update the software, leading to the outage. Additionally, an anti-fraud security setting disabled the card payment system, further contributing to the failure [94202].
(b) The software failure incident can also be attributed to accidental decisions or unintended consequences. The issue in the meters' software was reported to have been caused by programming the end date for card usage as January 1, 2020. This unintended decision led to the malfunction in the system, causing inconvenience to drivers who were unable to pay with credit cards or prepaid parking cards [94237]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in New York City with the parking meters was primarily attributed to development incompetence. The issue arose from a software glitch that was likened to the Y2K bug, where the credit card payment software was configured to end on Jan. 1, causing the mass malfunction. The vendor responsible for the payment system, Parkeon, failed to update the software, leading to the outage [94202]. The failure was due to a lack of professional competence in updating and maintaining the software to prevent such issues.
(b) Additionally, the incident could also be considered accidental as the malfunction was caused by an anti-fraud security setting that disabled the card payment system, leading to the outage. This accidental setting resulted in the unintended consequence of rejecting credit cards and prepaid parking cards, causing inconvenience to drivers in New York City [94202]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in New York City related to parking meters not accepting credit cards and prepaid parking cards was temporary. The issue was caused by a software glitch that occurred due to the meters' credit card payment software being configured to end on Jan. 1, resulting in the mass malfunction [94202, 94237]. The city's Department of Transportation mentioned that repairs were expected to be finished by January 9 [94237]. City workers were actively reconfiguring the software meter by meter to resolve the problem, indicating that it was a temporary issue that was being actively addressed [94202].
(b) The software failure incident can also be considered temporary as it was caused by a specific issue in the meters' software, which had been programmed with January 1, 2020, as an end date for card usage [94237]. The fact that the vendor provided a software fix to the city and that the issue was being actively worked on by city workers to reconfigure the software meter by meter suggests that it was a temporary failure [94202]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, timing, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in New York City involving parking meters was due to a crash. The meters' credit card payment software was configured to end on Jan. 1, resulting in a mass malfunction, causing the system to crash and reject credit cards and prepaid parking cards [94202].
(b) omission: The software failure incident also involved omission. The meters' software omitted to perform its intended functions of accepting credit cards and prepaid parking cards due to the programming error with the end date set to January 1, 2020 [94237].
(c) timing: The timing of the software failure incident was also a factor. The system was performing its intended functions but at the wrong time, as the software was programmed to end credit card usage on January 1, causing the malfunction to occur after that date [94237].
(d) value: The software failure incident did not involve a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident was not characterized by a byzantine behavior.
(f) other: The software failure incident could be categorized as an omission and timing issue, where the system omitted to perform its functions correctly at the specified time, leading to the crash and rejection of credit cards and prepaid parking cards. |