| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to USB-C firmware issues affecting Lenovo ThinkPad laptops has happened again within the same organization. Lenovo confirmed that the buggy firmware responsible for problems with the USB-C ports on many models of its 2017 to 2019 ThinkPad laptops was caused by a firmware update issued in August 2019 [94401]. This indicates a recurrence of the software failure incident within Lenovo's own products. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is attributed to a design issue. Lenovo confirmed that a buggy firmware update issued in August 2019 corrupted the software controlling the USB-C ports on many models of its ThinkPad laptops [94401]. This indicates that the failure was introduced during the system development phase when the firmware update was designed and released.
(b) The article does not provide information indicating that the software failure incident was due to operation or misuse of the system. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident related to the USB-C firmware issue affecting Lenovo ThinkPad laptops is within the system. The issue was caused by a firmware update issued by Lenovo in August 2019, which corrupted the software controlling the USB-C ports on the affected models of ThinkPad laptops [94401]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was due to non-human actions. The issue stemmed from a buggy firmware update that corrupted the software controlling the USB-C ports on Lenovo ThinkPad laptops [94401]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
The software failure incident with Lenovo's USB-C ports on ThinkPad laptops was attributed to buggy firmware that corrupted the software controlling the port. This issue was a result of a firmware update issued in August 2019, which led to problems with the USB-C functionality on the affected models [94401].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
The software failure incident with Lenovo's USB-C ports was primarily caused by a firmware update that corrupted the software controlling the port. Symptoms of the USB-C problem included various issues related to the software functionality, such as ports not working, Thunderbolt controller not visible, docking stations having connectivity problems, HDMI output issues, and error messages related to Thunderbolt communication [94401]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in Article 94401 is non-malicious. The failure was caused by a buggy firmware update issued by Lenovo in August 2019, which corrupted the software controlling the USB-C ports on many models of ThinkPad laptops. This resulted in various issues such as ports not working, Thunderbolt controller not visible, docking stations having connectivity problems, HDMI output not available, and other related problems. Lenovo responded by recommending users to update their systems with new driver and firmware packages to resolve the USB-C problem, indicating that the failure was not due to malicious intent but rather a technical issue introduced unintentionally [94401]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the USB-C firmware issue affecting Lenovo ThinkPad laptops was primarily due to poor_decisions made during a firmware update issued in August 2019. This update ended up corrupting the software controlling the USB-C ports on many models of ThinkPad laptops [94401]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article. Lenovo confirmed that a buggy firmware update issued in August 2019 corrupted the software controlling the USB-C ports on many models of its ThinkPad laptops [94401]. This indicates a failure introduced due to a lack of professional competence in the development process. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to the USB-C firmware issue affecting Lenovo ThinkPad laptops is temporary. This is evident from the fact that Lenovo has provided a solution in the form of new driver and firmware packages to resolve the USB-C problem. They recommend immediate updating of the system with these packages, indicating that the issue can be fixed through software updates [94401]. |
| Behaviour |
crash |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article is related to a crash where the USB-C firmware update issued in August 2019 corrupted the software controlling the port, leading to various issues such as ports not working, Intel Thunderbolt controller not visible, and HDMI output not available [94401]. |