| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the exposure of personal data of Israeli voters due to a software flaw occurred within the same organization, specifically with the mobile app used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party to communicate with voters [95590].
(b) The article mentions other incidents of large-scale software failures and data breaches globally, such as the fiasco of the Democratic presidential caucuses in Iowa due to an app failure, the personal information theft of almost every adult in Bulgaria, cyberattacks on Britain's health care system and the government of Bangladesh, and hacking operations on companies like Equifax, Marriott International, and Yahoo [95590]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in Israel, where a software flaw exposed the personal data of every eligible voter, was attributed to a design flaw in the mobile app used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party to communicate with voters [95590]. The flaw allowed easy access to the government's entire voter registry without requiring advanced technical skills, indicating a design vulnerability in the system.
(b) The software failure incident in Israel can also be linked to an operation failure. The ease with which the voter information could be accessed was due to a flaw in the operation or misuse of the system. Visitors to the Elector app's website could right-click to "view source," revealing the code behind the web page, including user names and passwords of site administrators with access to the voter registry. This operation flaw allowed unauthorized access to sensitive information [95590]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in Israel, where a software flaw exposed the personal data of every eligible voter, was due to a boundary within the system. The flaw was tied to a mobile app used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party to communicate with voters, allowing unauthorized access to the government's entire voter registry [95590]. The breach occurred within the system of the app, allowing individuals to view and download sensitive voter information without advanced technical skills [95590].
(b) outside_system: The incident also highlighted failures originating from outside the system, such as the lack of proper security measures and oversight by the government and political parties involved. The breach exposed the inability of governments and corporations worldwide to safeguard private information and protect vital systems against cyberattacks [95590]. Additionally, the incident raised concerns about potential foreign state-backed hackers exploiting the stolen data for espionage or influencing Israeli voters [95590]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Israel, where a software flaw exposed the personal data of every eligible voter, was primarily due to non-human actions. The security lapse was tied to a mobile app used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party, allowing anyone to view and download the government’s entire voter registry without advanced technical skills [95590].
(b) However, human actions also played a role in this software failure incident. The programmer who revealed the breach explained that visitors to the Elector app’s website could easily access sensitive information by right-clicking to "view source," revealing user names and passwords of site administrators with access to the voter registry. This allowed unauthorized access to the information [95590]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The incident reported in the article [95590] was primarily due to a software flaw that exposed the personal data of Israeli voters. The flaw was tied to a mobile app used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party to communicate with voters. The hardware itself was not mentioned as a contributing factor in this incident.
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident reported in the article [95590] was specifically due to a software flaw in the mobile app called Elector used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud party. The flaw allowed easy access to the government's entire voter registry without advanced technical skills, highlighting a significant software vulnerability. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the exposure of personal data of every eligible voter in Israel was non-malicious in nature. The incident was attributed to a software flaw in a mobile app used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party to communicate with voters. The flaw allowed easy access to the government's entire voter registry without advanced technical skills, as visitors to the Elector app's website could simply right-click to view the source code, revealing sensitive information [95590].
(b) However, the consequences of this non-malicious software failure incident could potentially be malicious, as the exposed voter information could be exploited by criminals for identity theft or by foreign state-backed hackers to spy on or influence Israeli voters ahead of a critical election. The incident raised concerns about identity theft and electoral manipulation, highlighting the risks associated with large-scale software failures and data breaches in safeguarding private information and ensuring the integrity of electoral systems [95590]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the exposure of personal data of Israeli voters was primarily due to poor decisions made by the developers and administrators of the app. The flaw that exposed the voter registry was tied to a mobile app called Elector used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party to communicate with voters [95590]. The ease with which the voter information could be accessed was explained by a programmer who revealed the breach, stating that visitors to the Elector app's website could right-click to "view source," revealing the code behind the web page, including user names and passwords of site administrators with access to the voter registry [95590]. This incident highlights poor decisions in terms of security measures and access control implemented in the software.
(b) The software failure incident can also be attributed to accidental decisions or unintended consequences. The breach occurred without requiring advanced technical skills, as visitors to the Elector app's website could easily access sensitive information by viewing the source code of the page [95590]. The programmer who discovered the flaw mentioned that no hacking skills were necessary in this case, indicating that the exposure of voter data was not a result of a sophisticated cyberattack but rather a consequence of accidental decisions made during the development and deployment of the app. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as it mentions that the software flaw that exposed the personal data of every eligible voter in Israel was tied to a mobile app used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party. The flaw allowed easy access to the government's entire voter registry without advanced technical skills, simply by right-clicking on the app's website to view the source code, which included user names and passwords of site administrators with access to the voter registry [95590].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is highlighted in the article when the programmer who revealed the breach, Ran Bar-Zik, mentioned that no hacking skills were necessary to exploit the flaw. He received a tipoff about the problem and was able to access sensitive voter information easily, indicating that the exposure of the data was accidental and not due to sophisticated hacking techniques [95590]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article was temporary. The incident was a result of a software flaw in a mobile app used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party to communicate with voters. The flaw allowed unauthorized access to the government's entire voter registry, exposing personal data of 6.5 million people [Article 95590]. The software flaw was immediately dealt with once discovered, indicating that it was not a permanent failure but rather a temporary issue that was fixed promptly. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software flaw in the Elector app allowed unauthorized users to access and download the government's entire voter registry without advanced technical skills, indicating a crash in the system's security measures [95590].
(b) omission: The software flaw led to the omission of proper security measures that should have prevented unauthorized access to sensitive voter information, resulting in the exposure of personal data of millions of Israeli voters [95590].
(c) timing: The software failure incident in Israel occurred just three weeks before the country's national election, highlighting the timing of the breach and the potential impact it could have had on the electoral process [95590].
(d) value: The software failure incident resulted in the system performing its intended functions incorrectly by allowing unauthorized access to the voter registry, compromising the privacy and security of millions of individuals [95590].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure, as the issue was primarily related to a security flaw that allowed unauthorized access to sensitive data rather than inconsistent responses or interactions within the system [95590].
(f) other: The software failure incident also raised concerns about the inability of governments and corporations worldwide to safeguard private information, protect against cyberattacks, and ensure the integrity of electoral systems, highlighting broader systemic issues beyond just the specific software flaw in the Elector app [95590]. |