Published Date: 2020-06-01
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident with the wallpaper crashing Android phones happened in June 2020 as reported in [Article 100486], [Article 101461], and [Article 101766]. 2. Using the 'Published on' dates of the articles: - Article 100486 was published on 2020-06-01. - Article 101461 was published on 2020-06-02. - Article 101766 was published on 2020-06-04. 3. Estimating the timeline: - The incident occurred around late May or early June 2020 based on the publication dates of the articles. |
| System | 1. Android operating system (Android 10) [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766] 2. Samsung, Google Pixel, OnePlus, Nokia, and Xiaomi devices [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766] |
| Responsible Organization | 1. The wallpaper image featuring a lake, a cloudy sunset, and a green shoreline was responsible for causing the software failure incident on various Android devices [100486, 101461, 101766]. |
| Impacted Organization | 1. Samsung device users [100486, 101461, 101766] 2. Google Pixel device users [100486, 101461, 101766] 3. OnePlus device users [100486] 4. Nokia device users [100486] 5. Xiaomi device users [100486] |
| Software Causes | 1. The software failure incident was caused by setting a specific wallpaper image on Android devices, including Samsung, Google Pixel, and possibly other brands, which led to the phones crashing and becoming unusable [100486, 101461, 101766]. 2. The issue was related to how the phones handled the color space of the image, causing the screen to continuously turn on and off, making it impossible to use the device [101461, 101766]. 3. The failure affected devices running the latest version of the Android operating system, Android 10 [101461, 101766]. 4. The incident was triggered by using an image of a lake, a cloudy sunset, and a green shoreline as wallpaper, leading to the phones malfunctioning and requiring some users to perform a factory reset to resolve the issue [100486, 101461, 101766]. |
| Non-software Causes | 1. The issue was related to the way some phones handle the color space of images, causing them to crash when displaying certain images [101461, 101766]. 2. The incident occurred due to the phones not being able to properly handle the color information in the image, leading to continuous screen on and off behavior [101461, 101766]. 3. The failure was attributed to the phones not being able to display the right shade of colors, indicating a problem with color space handling [101461, 101766]. |
| Impacts | 1. Users reported their phones crashing and becoming soft-bricked after setting a certain wallpaper image, leading to the need for some users to reset their phones to factory settings [100486, 101461, 101766]. 2. The bug caused affected phones to continuously turn the screen on and off, making it impossible to use the device normally [101461, 101766]. 3. Some users were able to change the wallpaper or delete it using recovery tools, while others had to wait for firmware updates to resolve the issue [100486, 101461]. 4. The incident led to concerns about how phones handle color spaces in images, with some devices unable to properly display certain images, causing malfunctions [101461, 101766]. |
| Preventions | 1. Properly testing the wallpaper image on a variety of devices and operating systems before releasing it to users could have prevented the software failure incident [100486, 101461, 101766]. 2. Implementing stricter validation checks for wallpaper images to ensure they adhere to standard color spaces and formats could have helped prevent the issue [101461, 101766]. 3. Conducting thorough risk assessments and considering potential scenarios where images with unusual color spaces could cause device malfunctions might have preemptively identified this type of issue [101461, 101766]. 4. Providing timely software updates and patches to address any unforeseen issues or bugs discovered after the release of the wallpaper image could have mitigated the impact of the incident [100486, 101461, 101766]. |
| Fixes | 1. Changing the wallpaper to a different image or deleting the problematic wallpaper using the TWRP recovery tool [100486]. 2. Waiting for a subsequent firmware update from the device manufacturer to resolve the issue [100486, 101461]. 3. Performing a factory reset on the affected phone [100486, 101461]. 4. Installing a maintenance update that is scheduled to be released by Samsung on June 11 [101461]. 5. Restarting the device in safe mode by holding down the volume button during boot-up [101461]. | References | 1. Ice Universe, a Twitter user specializing in leaks [100486, 101461] 2. Android Authority [100486, 101461, 101766] 3. BBC News [101461, 101766] 4. Bogdan Petrovan, a tech journalist at Android Authority [101461, 101766] 5. Dylan Roussel, a developer who writes at 9to5Google [101461] 6. Ken Munro and Dave Lodge from security firm Pen Test partners [101461, 101766] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | one_organization, multiple_organization | (a) one_organization: The software failure incident of phones crashing after setting a certain wallpaper image has happened again within the same organization. Samsung users reported their phones crashing after setting a specific wallpaper image, and later, Google Pixel phones were also affected by the same issue [100486, 101461]. (b) multiple_organization: The software failure incident of phones crashing after setting a particular wallpaper image has affected multiple organizations and their products. Users of Samsung, Google Pixel, OnePlus, Nokia, and Xiaomi devices reported their phones crashing due to the "cursed" wallpaper. This incident impacted various brands, indicating a widespread issue across different organizations [100486, 101461]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design, operation | (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase: The incident of phones crashing after setting a certain wallpaper image was due to a bug in the Android operating system that caused the screen to continuously turn on and off when the specific image was used as wallpaper. This issue arose from how some phones handled the color space of the image, leading to malfunctions on devices running the latest version of the Android operating system, Android 10. The failure was attributed to the way phones dealt with color space in images, causing the system to crash when encountering images with more color information than some devices could handle [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase: Users affected by the wallpaper issue reported that their phones became unusable after setting the specific image as wallpaper. In some cases, a factory reset was required to resolve the problem. The incident highlighted the operational impact of using the wallpaper image, as it caused devices to malfunction and required users to take specific actions like changing the wallpaper or using recovery tools to address the issue [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | within_system | From the provided articles, the software failure incident related to the crashing of phones when setting a specific wallpaper image can be analyzed as follows: (a) within_system: The failure seems to be primarily within the system. The issue arises from how the phones handle the color space of the image used as wallpaper. Phones need to check the image's color space to display it properly, and in this case, the way some phones deal with certain color spaces has gone wrong, causing the continuous crashing of the devices [Article 101461]. (b) outside_system: There is no explicit mention of contributing factors originating from outside the system in the articles. The focus is more on how the phones process the specific image as wallpaper, leading to the crashing issue. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: The software failure incident where phones crashed after setting a certain wallpaper image was due to a bug in the Android operating system. The bug caused the screen to continuously turn on and off when the specific image was used as wallpaper, leading to the phones becoming unresponsive. This issue was related to how some phones handle the color space of images, especially those with more color information than some devices can handle. The failure was not directly caused by human actions but rather by the way the phones processed the image data [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: The software failure incident related to the wallpaper image causing phones to crash was not directly caused by human actions. Users who set the specific image as wallpaper did not intentionally introduce the bug that led to the crashes. The failure was primarily due to a bug in the Android operating system that caused the phones to malfunction when processing the image as wallpaper. Therefore, human actions were not the contributing factor in this software failure incident [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | software | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The software failure incident reported in the articles is not attributed to hardware issues but rather to a bug in the Android operating system related to how phones handle color space in images [101461]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The software failure incident is primarily attributed to a bug in the Android operating system that causes phones to crash when a specific image is set as wallpaper [100486, 101461, 101766]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | non-malicious | (a) The software failure incident related to the wallpaper crashing Android phones was non-malicious. The incident was caused by a bug in the Android operating system that made the screen turn on and off continuously when a specific image was set as wallpaper. This bug affected several brands, including Samsung and Google's Pixel, and required some users to perform a factory reset to resolve the issue. Developers and security experts analyzed the incident and explained that the phones failed to handle the color space of the image correctly, leading to the malfunction [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. (b) The incident was not caused by any malicious intent but rather by a technical flaw in how the phones processed the color space of the image, resulting in the crashing behavior. The software failure was unintentional and stemmed from a lack of consideration by software developers regarding how certain images with different color information could be handled by the devices [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | poor_decisions, accidental_decisions | (a) The software failure incident related to the wallpaper crashing Android phones was primarily due to poor decisions. The incident occurred because some phones were unable to handle the color space of the specific image used as wallpaper, causing the devices to malfunction [101461]. The issue arose from how the phones dealt with color space in images, indicating a lack of consideration by software developers for such scenarios [101461]. (b) The software failure incident related to the wallpaper crashing Android phones was also influenced by accidental decisions. Users who set the problematic image as their wallpaper experienced their phones crashing, leading to the need for factory resets in some cases [100486]. The incident was not intentional but rather a consequence of using a particular image that triggered the malfunction in the devices [100486]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | development_incompetence | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence: - The incident with the wallpaper causing phones to crash was due to a bug in the Android operating system related to how phones handle color space in images. This issue arose because some phones did not handle certain color spaces correctly, leading to the crashing of devices when setting the specific wallpaper [Article 101461]. - The failure was not due to the users setting the wallpaper intentionally but rather a result of the software not being able to handle the color space of the image properly, indicating a development incompetence in handling such scenarios [Article 101461]. (b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally: - The incident with the wallpaper causing phones to crash was not intentional but rather accidental. Users who set the specific wallpaper did not do so with the intention of causing their phones to crash; it was a side effect of the bug in the Android operating system [Article 101461]. - The failure was not caused by any malicious intent but rather by the way some phones mishandled the color space of the image, leading to unintended consequences of crashing devices [Article 101461]. |
| Duration | temporary | (a) The software failure incident in the articles is temporary. The incident was caused by setting a specific image as wallpaper on Android devices, leading to crashes and malfunctions. Users reported that their phones would continuously turn on and off, requiring some to perform a factory reset to resolve the issue. Samsung and Google were among the affected brands, and the bug seemed to impact devices running the latest version of the Android operating system, Android 10. The incident prompted warnings not to use the problematic image as wallpaper and recommendations to wait for firmware updates to address the issue [100486, 101461, 101766]. (b) The software failure incident in the articles is temporary. The issue arose from how some phones handle color space in images, causing them to malfunction when a specific image was set as wallpaper. The incident affected various Android devices, including Samsung and Google's Pixel phones. The bug did not impact all devices running Android 10, indicating that certain circumstances triggered the failure. Developers and security experts analyzed the problem, attributing it to the way phones process color information in images, leading to the devices not knowing how to handle the image correctly [101461, 101766]. |
| Behaviour | crash, other | (a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles is a crash. Users reported that setting a specific wallpaper image caused their phones to crash, with the screen turning on and off continuously, making it impossible to use the device [100486, 101461, 101766]. (b) omission: There is no indication in the articles that the software failure incident was due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). (c) timing: The software failure incident was not related to the system performing its intended functions too late or too early. (d) value: The software failure incident was not due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident was specifically related to causing the phones to crash when a particular wallpaper image was set, leading to the devices becoming unusable until the issue was resolved through various methods like changing the wallpaper or resetting the phone to factory settings [100486, 101461, 101766]. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | property, delay, non-human, theoretical_consequence | (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - There is no mention of any deaths related to the software failure incident in the provided articles [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - There is no mention of physical harm to individuals due to the software failure incident in the provided articles [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure - There is no mention of people's access to food or shelter being impacted by the software failure incident in the provided articles [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure - Users reported their phones crashing after setting a certain wallpaper image, leading to soft-bricking of the devices and requiring some users to reset their phones to factory settings [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure - Users experienced phone crashes and malfunctions due to setting a specific wallpaper image, which could have potentially caused delays in their daily activities or phone usage [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incident primarily affected Android phones from various manufacturers like Samsung, Google, OnePlus, Nokia, and Xiaomi, causing crashes and malfunctions [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure - The software failure incident resulted in phones crashing, requiring some users to reset their devices to factory settings, indicating real consequences of the issue [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur - The articles discuss potential consequences of the software failure incident, such as the need for a maintenance update to resolve the issue and the impact on how phones handle color spaces in images [Article 101461, Article 101766]. (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? - There are no other consequences mentioned in the articles beyond those covered in the options (a) to (h) [Article 100486, Article 101461, Article 101766]. |
| Domain | information | (a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to the information industry, specifically affecting users of Android phones like Samsung, Google Pixel, OnePlus, Nokia, and Xiaomi devices [100486, 101461, 101766]. The incident involved a specific wallpaper image causing phones to crash, leading to users having to reset their devices to factory settings or use recovery tools to delete the problematic image. The issue impacted the functionality of the affected devices, highlighting a software bug that disrupted the normal operation of the phones within the information industry sector. |
Article ID: 100486
Article ID: 101461
Article ID: 101766