| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article mentions that this incident is the third issue to hit Virgin Media in as many months. In late May, the company suffered a similar outage, and in April, millions of customers had problems accessing the internet during a series of outages across the country [101450].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
The article briefly mentions that earlier in the month, Sky Broadband also went down, leaving hundreds of customers without access to the internet, and Vodafone faced complaints on social media after mobile customers could not make voice calls. This indicates that other organizations like Sky and Vodafone have also experienced similar incidents [101450]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be inferred from the article as Virgin Media experienced outages affecting both TV and broadband services. The issues were confirmed to have impacted customers in various cities across the UK, including London, Manchester, and Belfast. The article mentions that the problems were not caused by congestion or strain due to increased usage during the lockdown, indicating that the failures were not solely due to increased demand but potentially due to underlying design issues introduced during system development or updates [101450].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be seen in the article where Virgin Media confirmed separate outages affecting TV customers and broadband users. The TV glitch affected customers nationwide, while the internet outage specifically hit parts of London. The fact that the issues were resolved at different times for TV and broadband services suggests operational challenges in managing and maintaining the system effectively. Additionally, the recurring nature of outages experienced by Virgin Media in recent months could point to operational issues in ensuring system stability and reliability during regular usage [101450]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident affecting Virgin Media users in the UK was due to issues within the system itself. Virgin Media confirmed that there were two separate outages, one affecting TV customers nationwide and the other impacting broadband users in London specifically. The company stated that the problems were not caused by congestion or strain from increased usage during the lockdown, indicating that the failures originated within the system [101450].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident experienced by Virgin Media users in the UK was not attributed to factors originating from outside the system. Virgin Media clarified that the issues were not caused by external factors such as increased demand due to people working or pursuing leisure activities at home during the lockdown. The failures were acknowledged as internal system issues rather than external influences [101450]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions in the Virgin Media outage was not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. The outage affecting both TV and broadband services was attributed to technical glitches and issues with the services themselves, without specific details on non-human contributing factors.
(b) The software failure incident related to human actions in the Virgin Media outage was not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. The article focused on technical glitches and issues with the services, without detailing any specific human errors or actions that contributed to the outage. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article does not specifically mention any hardware-related issues contributing to the software failure incident reported by Virgin Media [101450].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident reported by Virgin Media was attributed to glitches affecting TV customers and broadband users, indicating software-related issues [101450]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The articles do not mention any indication of the software failure incident being malicious, i.e., caused by contributing factors introduced by humans with the intent to harm the system [101450].
(b) The software failure incident affecting Virgin Media users in the UK was non-malicious. The issues were attributed to outages that separately affected TV customers and broadband users, with the TV glitch impacting customers around the country and the internet outage specifically hitting parts of London. Virgin Media confirmed that the problems were not caused by congestion or strain due to increased usage during the lockdown, indicating a non-malicious nature of the failure [101450]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article does not directly point to poor decisions as the intent behind the failure. The issues faced by Virgin Media customers were attributed to outages affecting TV and broadband services, with the company acknowledging the problems and working to resolve them promptly. There is no explicit mention of poor decisions leading to the software failure incident.
(b) The software failure incident appears to be more aligned with accidental decisions or unintended consequences rather than poor decisions. The article highlights that the outages experienced by Virgin Media users were separate incidents affecting TV and broadband services, with the company addressing the issues as they arose. The statement from Virgin Media's spokesman expressing apologies and acknowledging the frustration faced by affected customers suggests that the failures were not intentional but rather accidental in nature. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
unknown |
(a) The articles do not provide any specific information indicating that the software failure incident was due to development incompetence by humans or the development organization [101450].
(b) The articles do not mention any accidental factors contributing to the software failure incident [101450]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident mentioned in the article was temporary. It affected Virgin Media users across the UK, causing broadband and TV outages. The TV glitch and internet outage were separate issues, with the TV glitch affecting customers around the country and the internet outage specifically hitting parts of London. The problems began in the morning and were resolved later in the day, indicating a temporary nature of the failure [101450]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, other |
(a) crash: The article reports that Virgin Media users experienced a broadband and TV outage, with customers affected in cities like London, Manchester, and Belfast. The TV glitch affected customers around the country, while the internet outage hit parts of London only. The issues began just after 8 am, and there were about 10,000 reports of problems [101450].
(b) omission: The software failure incident resulted in customers experiencing brief issues with their TV service and broadband service. Virgin Media confirmed that some of its customers experienced problems with their TV service, and there was a separate problem affecting some of its broadband customers in London [101450].
(c) timing: The article mentions that the issues with the TV service and broadband service began just after 8 am, indicating that the system failed to perform its intended functions at that specific time [101450].
(d) value: The article does not specifically mention the system performing its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The article does not mention the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The software failure incident also affected other service providers like Sky Broadband and Vodafone, indicating a broader impact on the telecommunications infrastructure in the UK [101450]. |