| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to privacy vulnerabilities in Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature is not the first time an attempt to protect privacy has backfired for Apple. In 2019, Safari had to remove a feature called Do Not Track because its presence ironically allowed websites to better track people by creating a "fingerprint" of their browser settings [94452].
(b) Google has previously disclosed serious security vulnerabilities involving Apple, including a set of security flaws in iOS devices that were used to target Uighur Muslims in China [94452]. This indicates that similar incidents involving security vulnerabilities have occurred at multiple organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where Google researchers found flaws in Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature, which was designed to protect Safari users from third-party tracking cookies. The flaws in the design of ITP allowed potential hackers to view people's browsing and search history, track their behavior on the internet, and manipulate the ITP list, leading to information leaks and potential security concerns [94452].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be inferred from the fact that the vulnerabilities in Safari's ITP feature could have allowed websites to track people and manipulate the ITP list, potentially leading to information leaks and blocking access to certain websites. This indicates that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system [94452]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Safari browser vulnerabilities stemmed from Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature, which was designed by Apple to protect users from third-party tracking cookies. However, flaws in this feature allowed potential attackers to view people's browsing and search history, track their behavior on the internet, and manipulate the ITP list, leading to information leaks and security concerns [94452]. Apple acknowledged the flaws and worked to fix them in collaboration with Google researchers.
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident was also influenced by external factors, as Google security engineers discovered the vulnerabilities in Safari and reported them to Apple. The flaws were disclosed by Google researchers, indicating that the contributing factors originated externally from Google's analysis and findings [94452]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions. The vulnerabilities in Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature, which allowed potential hackers to view browsing history and track user behavior, were identified by Google security engineers [94452]. These flaws were not intentionally introduced by human actions but were inherent in the design and implementation of the feature.
(b) Human actions were involved in the resolution of the software failure incident. Apple acknowledged the flaws disclosed by Google and stated that they had fixed the vulnerabilities in December [94452]. Additionally, Apple's WebKit engineer behind ITP credited Google for finding the vulnerabilities and thanked them for the report [94452]. However, there were concerns raised by Google Chrome engineering director Justin Schuh that Apple's fixes had limitations and that the problems had not been fully resolved [94452]. |
| 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 the incident was caused by hardware issues [94452].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to flaws in the Safari browser's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature, which was designed to protect users' privacy but inadvertently created vulnerabilities that could be exploited by potential hackers [94452]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is non-malicious. The vulnerabilities in Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature, as discovered by Google researchers, were not intentionally introduced to harm the system. Instead, these flaws inadvertently created opportunities for potential attackers to exploit users' browsing and search history, leading to privacy risks [94452]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Safari browser's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature can be attributed to poor decisions made in the design and implementation of the privacy protection feature. The feature, intended to block third-party tracking cookies and protect user privacy, inadvertently created vulnerabilities that allowed potential hackers to view browsing and search history, track user behavior, and manipulate the ITP list [94452]. These flaws in the ITP feature led to information leaks, potential data breaches, and the ability for attackers to block access to certain websites, highlighting the negative consequences of the decisions made in developing the privacy protection mechanism. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article. Google researchers discovered flaws in Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature that allowed potential hackers to view people's browsing and search history, as well as track their behavior on the internet [94452]. These vulnerabilities were a result of the design and implementation of the ITP feature, indicating a failure due to contributing factors introduced by the development team's lack of professional competence in ensuring robust security measures.
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is also apparent in the article. The flaws in Safari's ITP feature, which compromised user privacy and security, were not intentional but rather accidental consequences of how the feature was designed and implemented by Apple. Despite Apple's focus on privacy protections, the unintended vulnerabilities in the ITP feature created risks for users' data and privacy [94452]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to the Safari browser vulnerabilities reported by Google researchers can be considered as a temporary failure. The vulnerabilities in Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature allowed potential hackers to view people's browsing and search history, track behavior on the internet, manipulate the ITP list, and potentially block access to some websites [94452]. Apple acknowledged and fixed the flaws disclosed by Google in December, indicating that the failure was temporary and addressed through specific circumstances [94452]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident related to the Safari browser vulnerabilities did not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions [94452].
(b) omission: The vulnerabilities in Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature allowed potential attackers to view people's browsing and search history, indicating an omission in the system's intended function of protecting user privacy [94452].
(c) timing: The article does not mention any timing-related failures in the software incident [94452].
(d) value: The vulnerabilities in Safari's ITP feature led to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly by allowing websites to track user behavior and manipulate the ITP list, compromising user privacy [94452].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not exhibit a byzantine behavior with inconsistent responses and interactions [94452].
(f) other: The other behavior observed in the software failure incident was the unintended consequence of a privacy feature (ITP) leading to security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by potential attackers, highlighting a flaw in the system's design and implementation [94452]. |