| Recurring |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to vulnerabilities in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip affecting over a billion Android devices has not been explicitly mentioned to have happened again within the same organization or with its products and services [103903].
(b) The software failure incident related to vulnerabilities in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip affecting over a billion Android devices has not been explicitly mentioned to have happened again at other organizations or with their products and services [103903]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. The vulnerabilities in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip, which can be exploited to turn Android devices into spying tools, are a result of weaknesses introduced during the design of the chip. The vulnerabilities were discovered by researchers from security firm Check Point, who highlighted that DSP chips like Snapdragon introduce new attack surfaces and weak points to mobile devices due to their complex design and functionality that are difficult for anyone other than the manufacturer to review [103903].
(b) The software failure incident is also related to the operation phase. Once the vulnerabilities in the Snapdragon chip are exploited, attackers can monitor locations, listen to nearby audio, exfiltrate photos and videos, and render the phone unresponsive in real-time. These operations are carried out by installing malicious apps that require no permissions at all, showcasing how the operation or misuse of the system can lead to significant security breaches and compromise user data and device functionality [103903]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
The software failure incident reported in the article [103903] can be categorized as a within_system failure. The vulnerabilities in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip, which is a component within the Android devices, allowed for the exploitation of over 400 vulnerabilities by attackers. These vulnerabilities could be triggered when a target downloads content or installs malicious apps, leading to various malicious activities such as spying, location tracking, audio monitoring, and rendering the phone unresponsive. The vulnerabilities in the DSP chips introduced new attack surfaces and weak points within the mobile devices themselves, making them vulnerable to exploitation [103903]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is primarily due to non-human actions, specifically vulnerabilities in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip that can be exploited by attackers without requiring any permissions from the user. The vulnerabilities can be triggered when a target downloads certain content or installs malicious apps, allowing attackers to spy on the device, render it unresponsive, and exfiltrate data [103903].
(b) On the other hand, human actions are also involved in this incident as Qualcomm has released a fix for the vulnerabilities, but it has not yet been incorporated into the Android OS or any Android device using Snapdragon. This delay in implementing the fix by manufacturers and software developers can be considered a human action contributing to the software failure incident [103903]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is related to hardware, specifically vulnerabilities in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip. Researchers discovered over 400 vulnerabilities in the chip that could be exploited to turn Android devices into spying tools. The vulnerabilities are related to the chip's digital signal processing (DSP) function, which handles various tasks including multimedia functions. Qualcomm has released a fix for the flaws, but it has not yet been incorporated into the Android OS or devices using Snapdragon [103903].
(b) The software failure incident is also related to software, as the vulnerabilities in the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip can be exploited through downloading videos or content that are rendered by the chip, or by installing malicious apps that require no permissions. These software-related actions can lead to the exploitation of the hardware vulnerabilities in the chip, allowing attackers to monitor locations, listen to nearby audio, exfiltrate photos and videos, and render the phone unresponsive [103903]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 103903 is malicious in nature. The vulnerabilities in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip can be exploited by attackers to turn Android devices into spying tools. Attackers can monitor locations, listen to nearby audio, exfiltrate photos and videos, render the phone unresponsive, and hide infections from the operating system. These actions are indicative of a malicious intent to harm the system and compromise user privacy and security [103903]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip vulnerabilities can be attributed to poor decisions made in the design and implementation of the chip's digital signal processing (DSP) functionality. The vulnerabilities were a result of the complex nature of DSP chips, which are managed as 'Black Boxes,' making it challenging for anyone other than the manufacturer to review their design, functionality, or code. This lack of transparency and oversight introduced new attack surfaces and weak points into mobile devices, leading to over 400 distinct bugs that could be exploited by attackers [103903].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to accidental decisions or unintended consequences. For example, the vulnerabilities in the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip were not intentionally designed to be exploited by malicious actors. Instead, they were discovered as a result of research conducted by security firm Check Point, highlighting the unintended consequences of the chip's design and the potential risks associated with using DSP chips in mobile devices [103903]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is related to development incompetence. Researchers discovered more than 400 vulnerabilities in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip that could be exploited by hackers to turn Android devices into spying tools. The vulnerabilities were attributed to the complexity of DSP chips, which are managed as 'Black Boxes' by manufacturers, making it challenging for anyone other than the manufacturer to review their design, functionality, or code. Qualcomm released a fix for the flaws, but it has not yet been incorporated into the Android OS or any Android device using Snapdragon [103903].
(b) The software failure incident was not attributed to accidental factors but rather to vulnerabilities introduced due to the complexity and lack of transparency in the design and management of the DSP chips in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the article is temporary. The vulnerabilities in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip that can turn Android devices into spying tools are due to specific contributing factors introduced by the vulnerabilities in the chip itself [Article 103903]. The incident is not permanent as Qualcomm has released a fix for the flaws, although it has not yet been incorporated into the Android OS or any Android device that uses Snapdragon. The temporary nature of the incident is further highlighted by the fact that Check Point is withholding technical details about the vulnerabilities until fixes make their way into end-user devices. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article can be categorized as a crash. The vulnerabilities in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip can lead to exploits that render the phone completely unresponsive, indicating a failure due to the system losing state and not performing any of its intended functions [103903].
(b) omission: The vulnerabilities in the Snapdragon chip can also result in the omission of the system to perform its intended functions. Attackers can exploit the vulnerabilities to monitor locations, listen to nearby audio, and exfiltrate photos and videos without the user's knowledge or permission, indicating a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at instances [103903].
(c) timing: The article does not mention any specific instances of the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early.
(d) value: The vulnerabilities in the Snapdragon chip can lead to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. Attackers can exploit the vulnerabilities to turn Android devices into spying tools, compromising user privacy and security, indicating a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly [103903].
(e) byzantine: The article does not describe the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident is the introduction of new attack surfaces and weak points to mobile devices due to the vulnerabilities in the DSP chips. These vulnerabilities make it challenging to review the design, functionality, or code of the chips, leading to potential security risks beyond the typical failure modes mentioned [103903]. |