| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to vulnerabilities in Amazon's Alexa platform has happened again within the same organization. Researchers from cybersecurity firm Check Point discovered security issues with Amazon's Alexa that could have allowed a potential hacker to access a person's conversation logs with the smart speaker and install skills on the device without the person knowing. Amazon fixed the issue after being alerted by the researchers [103796, 103828].
(b) The incident involving vulnerabilities in smart voice assistants like Amazon's Alexa is not unique to Amazon. Security researchers have frequently demonstrated flaws with various smart voice assistants, highlighting the potential security risks associated with connected devices at home. These vulnerabilities serve as a reminder for users to be cautious about the data stored and shared through smart devices [103828]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles can be attributed to the design phase. The vulnerability in Amazon's Alexa platform was due to underlying flaws in certain Amazon and Alexa subdomains that allowed an attacker to exploit the system by injecting code and manipulating URLs to gain unauthorized access to users' data [103796, 103828].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. The vulnerability discovered by researchers from Check Point highlighted the potential for a hacker to access a person's conversation logs with Alexa and install skills on the device without the user's knowledge, showcasing a security issue related to the operation or use of the system [103828]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to vulnerabilities in Amazon's Alexa platform was due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. The vulnerabilities allowed a potential hacker to exploit flaws in Alexa's web services, enabling them to access a user's entire voice history, profile information, and installed skills [103796, 103828]. The attack involved injecting code into Amazon's subdomains to extract security tokens tied to Alexa accounts, posing a significant risk to user privacy and data security. The flaws in the system's infrastructure configuration ultimately led to the exploitation of user information from within the system itself. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles was primarily due to non-human actions. The vulnerability in Amazon's Alexa platform was caused by bugs in Alexa's web services that could have been exploited by a hacker to access a target's entire voice history and other personal data without human participation [103796, 103828].
(b) The software failure incident also involved human actions. The vulnerability could have been exploited by tricking targets into clicking a malicious link, which is a common attack scenario requiring human interaction [103796]. Additionally, the security researchers from Check Point discovered the vulnerability and reported it to Amazon, leading to the issue being fixed by Amazon [103828]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The articles do not mention any hardware-related issues contributing to the software failure incident. Therefore, there is no information available regarding hardware-related factors in this incident.
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident in the articles is primarily attributed to vulnerabilities in Amazon's Alexa platform software. Researchers from cybersecurity firm Check Point discovered security issues in Alexa that could have allowed a potential hacker to access a person's conversation logs with the smart speaker and install skills on the device without the user's knowledge [103796, 103828].
- The vulnerabilities in the software infrastructure configuration of Alexa allowed attackers to exploit flaws in certain Amazon and Alexa subdomains, enabling them to gather information about users, install new skills, access voice history, and other account details [103796].
- The software failure incident was related to a chain of vulnerabilities in Alexa's infrastructure configuration that could be exploited by tricking targets into clicking a malicious link, leading to the exposure of sensitive user data [103796].
- Amazon acknowledged the security issues and promptly fixed the vulnerabilities after being alerted by the researchers, emphasizing the importance of continuously strengthening systems to prevent such software failures [103828]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is malicious in nature. Researchers from cybersecurity firm Check Point discovered security vulnerabilities in Amazon's Alexa platform that could have been exploited by hackers to grab a target's entire voice history and profile information, including home address and installed skills [103796, 103828]. The vulnerabilities allowed attackers to trick targets into clicking a malicious link, leading to the exploitation of flaws in Amazon and Alexa subdomains, enabling the attacker to access sensitive user data and even install malicious skills on the victim's Alexa account [103796]. The attack was described as nuanced and required a chain of vulnerabilities in Alexa's infrastructure configuration, highlighting the potential for malicious scenarios [103796].
(b) The software failure incident is non-malicious in the sense that it was not caused by unintentional factors. The vulnerabilities were discovered by independent researchers from Check Point, who brought the potential issues to Amazon's attention, leading to the prompt fixing of the vulnerabilities by Amazon [103796, 103828]. Amazon stated that it had not seen any cases of the vulnerability being used against customers or of any customer information being exposed [103796]. The incident serves as a reminder for users to minimize the data stored in their web accounts and to regularly delete their voice history with Alexa to enhance security [103796, 103828]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the vulnerabilities in Amazon's Alexa platform can be attributed to poor decisions made in the configuration and infrastructure of the platform. The vulnerabilities allowed a hacker to exploit bugs in Alexa's web services to grab a target's entire voice history and profile information, including home address and installed skills [103796, 103828]. The incident was a result of underlying flaws in certain Amazon and Alexa subdomains, which enabled an attacker to craft a genuine Amazon link to lure victims into exposed parts of Amazon’s infrastructure, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive user data [103796].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to accidental decisions or unintended consequences. The security researchers from Check Point discovered the vulnerabilities in Amazon's Alexa platform, which could have allowed a potential hacker to access a person's conversation logs with the smart speaker and install skills on the device without the person's knowledge [103828]. The incident highlighted the importance of minimizing the amount of history logged with smart speakers to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information [103828]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles can be attributed to development incompetence. The vulnerability in Amazon's Alexa platform was due to a chain of vulnerabilities in Alexa's infrastructure configuration that allowed a malicious attacker to gather information about users and even install new skills [103796]. The security flaws found by Check Point researchers highlighted the lack of professional competence in securing the Alexa platform, as attackers could exploit underlying flaws in certain Amazon and Alexa subdomains to access sensitive user data [103796].
(b) The software failure incident can also be categorized as accidental. The vulnerability that exposed users' conversations with Alexa was discovered by cybersecurity firm Check Point, indicating that the security issues were not intentionally introduced but were accidental discoveries [103828]. Amazon fixed the issue promptly after being informed by the researchers, showing that the exposure of conversation logs with the smart speaker was not intentional but a result of accidental security flaws [103828]. |
| Duration |
permanent |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is more of a permanent nature. The vulnerability in Amazon's Alexa platform that allowed a potential hacker to access a person's conversation logs with the smart speaker and install skills on the device without the person knowing was a significant security flaw that could have had lasting consequences [103796, 103828].
The vulnerability was due to underlying flaws in certain Amazon and Alexa subdomains that allowed an attacker to craft a genuine-looking Amazon link to lure victims into exposed parts of Amazon’s infrastructure. This flaw could have been exploited to access the victim's full audio history, list of installed skills, and other account details, potentially leading to serious privacy breaches [103796].
Additionally, the potential for hackers to access sensitive voice history records and the fact that Amazon keeps some transcripts of voice recordings indefinitely raise concerns about the long-term implications of such vulnerabilities [103828]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash:
- The software failure incident related to Amazon's Alexa platform had vulnerabilities that could have been exploited by a hacker to grab a target's entire voice history and other account details, leading to a potential crash of the system [103796].
- The vulnerability discovered by researchers from cybersecurity firm Check Point could have exposed all conversations with Amazon's Alexa, indicating a potential crash of the system [103828].
(b) omission:
- The vulnerability in Amazon's Alexa platform could have allowed a potential hacker to get a person's conversation logs with the smart speaker and install skills on the device without the person knowing, indicating an omission of performing its intended functions securely [103828].
(c) timing:
- The software failure incident did not involve a timing failure as the system was not reported to be performing its intended functions too late or too early.
(d) value:
- The vulnerability in Amazon's Alexa platform could have allowed a potential attacker to pose as a user, install skills, get a list of the skills in use, and view voice chat history, indicating a failure in performing its intended functions correctly [103828].
(e) byzantine:
- The software failure incident did not exhibit a byzantine behavior with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other:
- The software failure incident involved a chain of vulnerabilities in Alexa's infrastructure configuration that allowed a malicious attacker to gather information about users, install new skills, and access sensitive data, which could be categorized as a security breach beyond the options provided [103796]. |